Dispute Resolution Services
Going to court to resolve a dispute should be a last resort. Most people find it cheaper, more civilised and less stressful to resolve their problems outside court. I find it rewarding to apply my experience and skills as a family lawyer to assist the parties to a dispute to find a resolution outside the court forum by means of Alternative Dispute Resolution. I am qualified to assist them in a number of ways:
Family Law Arbitration
Since 2012 it has been possible to appoint an arbitrator to decide a family dispute over financial issues. Family arbitration has the benefit of being much less formal and much faster than going to court. Arbitration is also confidential and much more comfortable and user-friendly than going to court. I qualified to act as an arbitrator in financial disputes under rules of the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators in 2012. I conducted one of the first family law arbitrations in England and have been appointed as an arbitrator in numerous cases since (having personally been appointed as arbitrator in some 30 arbitrations to date - accounting for around 10% of all the family arbitrations which have taken place in England and Wales to date).
A family financial dispute can be taken to arbitration either through a solicitor or barrister if you have one, or by both parties directly appointing the arbitrator and dealing with the arbitration in person.
If you wish to appoint me as an arbitrator it is important that all communications with me are open and transparent to both sides. As an arbitrator I am acting as a judge of the dispute and so I cannot have private discussion about the case with one side without the other side knowing. Please contact me if you wish to have further details about the process of arbitration and how you might use it.
Mediation
Mediation is the process by which the parties appoint a suitably qualified mediator to help them negotiate and find an acceptable compromise to all or part of their case. Mediation is a highly flexible process and it has a very high success rate. I am qualified to mediate under both the models of mediation used in England:
I am happy to discuss how mediation might be made to work in your particular case. Further details and other mediators can also be found on the website of 36ADR, of which I am a member.
Neutral Evaluation
I also provide neutral evaluations to both parties to a dispute in what are sometimes called 'private FDRs'. this involves both parties appointing me to provide them both with a neutral assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of their cases and what the outcome is likely to be if the matter goes to court. This can be done with the parties using lawyers to present their cases, or presenting them in person to me. Sometimes this can be done by way of written statements of cases and my written evaluation or, if it suits the case and the parties better, by way of a face to face meeting with all parties. The parties are not obliged to accept my evaluation but often having an objective third party view from an experienced lawyer helps the parties reach a compromise. I have conducted over 25 such private FDR appointments to date, with a high rate of settlement being achieved by the parties in them.
Please contact me if you are interested in any of the above options and would like to discuss the costs. I have experience of resolving family disputes in England and Wales and also in overseas jurisdictions.
Going to court to resolve a dispute should be a last resort. Most people find it cheaper, more civilised and less stressful to resolve their problems outside court. I find it rewarding to apply my experience and skills as a family lawyer to assist the parties to a dispute to find a resolution outside the court forum by means of Alternative Dispute Resolution. I am qualified to assist them in a number of ways:
Family Law Arbitration
Since 2012 it has been possible to appoint an arbitrator to decide a family dispute over financial issues. Family arbitration has the benefit of being much less formal and much faster than going to court. Arbitration is also confidential and much more comfortable and user-friendly than going to court. I qualified to act as an arbitrator in financial disputes under rules of the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators in 2012. I conducted one of the first family law arbitrations in England and have been appointed as an arbitrator in numerous cases since (having personally been appointed as arbitrator in some 30 arbitrations to date - accounting for around 10% of all the family arbitrations which have taken place in England and Wales to date).
A family financial dispute can be taken to arbitration either through a solicitor or barrister if you have one, or by both parties directly appointing the arbitrator and dealing with the arbitration in person.
If you wish to appoint me as an arbitrator it is important that all communications with me are open and transparent to both sides. As an arbitrator I am acting as a judge of the dispute and so I cannot have private discussion about the case with one side without the other side knowing. Please contact me if you wish to have further details about the process of arbitration and how you might use it.
Mediation
Mediation is the process by which the parties appoint a suitably qualified mediator to help them negotiate and find an acceptable compromise to all or part of their case. Mediation is a highly flexible process and it has a very high success rate. I am qualified to mediate under both the models of mediation used in England:
- the family model of mediation. This usually involves face to face negotiations with the parties in the same room. The parties' lawyers are not usually directly involved in the mediation. At the end of the mediation the parties take the agreement they have reached back to their lawyers in order to turn it into a formal settlement agreement or court order. These mediations are usually conducted over a number of relatively short sessions of 90 minutes to 2 hours duration.
- under the civil model of mediation where much of mediating is done by shuttling between the parties who are in separate rooms or, if the mediation is being conducted by telephone or Skype, even in different places. Under this model of mediation the parties' lawyers are often in attendance and involved in the mediation. Such mediations usually take place over a whole day (or sometimes longer in complex cases) and result in the parties and their lawyers drafting a final settlement agreement and signing this at the end of the mediation day.
- hybrid mediation, which involves a mixture of the two techniques as suits the case. So, for example, mediation of issues over the children might be conducted under the family model and mediation of the financial issues under the civil model, in whole or in part.
I am happy to discuss how mediation might be made to work in your particular case. Further details and other mediators can also be found on the website of 36ADR, of which I am a member.
Neutral Evaluation
I also provide neutral evaluations to both parties to a dispute in what are sometimes called 'private FDRs'. this involves both parties appointing me to provide them both with a neutral assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of their cases and what the outcome is likely to be if the matter goes to court. This can be done with the parties using lawyers to present their cases, or presenting them in person to me. Sometimes this can be done by way of written statements of cases and my written evaluation or, if it suits the case and the parties better, by way of a face to face meeting with all parties. The parties are not obliged to accept my evaluation but often having an objective third party view from an experienced lawyer helps the parties reach a compromise. I have conducted over 25 such private FDR appointments to date, with a high rate of settlement being achieved by the parties in them.
Please contact me if you are interested in any of the above options and would like to discuss the costs. I have experience of resolving family disputes in England and Wales and also in overseas jurisdictions.
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