Service helps couple settle cases and avoid costly and stressful court hearings

Law firm Irwin Mitchell has launched a new private Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) service to complement its mediation practice which was launched last year and expand its range of Non Court Dispute Resolution services.

Private Financial Dispute Resolution is designed to avoid the impact of Court costs and delays for separating couples. The process is a faster, cheaper, and less formal way of reaching a financial settlement than going through the courts.

The bespoke service, will be run by the highly experienced Irwin Mitchell Family Law Partner and Deputy District Judge Toby Hales, Toby has some 30 years’ experience in Family Law and has for many years been a recognised “leading individual” in the main legal Guides Chambers & partners and the Legal 500.

The Private FDR service forms part of the full suite of Non-Court dispute resolution (NCDR) techniques including mediation, counselling, collaborative law and arbitration. Last year Irwin Mitchell recruited former BBC broadcaster Joanna Gosling as a specialist mediator as she switched careers.

Lawyers wishing to enlist Irwin Mitchell to help with FDR can hire Toby, as an independent judge to help resolve financial disputes for their clients out of court.  FDR hearings can be held at the firm’s London offices or at a location of the client’s request, they can also be done remotely.

Expert Opinion

“For those going through a divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership, having to negotiate the distribution of significant aspects of the life they shared with their ex-partner can be costly and stressful. Increasingly people in relationships that have come to a natural end want to separate more swiftly, cheaply and amicably than the Court system allows, but understandably despite their best intentions, dealing with financial decisions can still be tricky for them to navigate.


“Financial disputes can be a major issue when a couple separates, and in my experience, having some expert independent legal help to resolve the matter has been a very effective in helping clients settle cases out of court.” Toby Hales, Family Law Partner

As of December 2023, the Governments mediation voucher scheme, which offers £500 towards the cost of mediation has helped over 24,000 families to access mediation and attempt to resolve their issues without resorting to court.

Family Mediation Council survey data from the first 2,800 vouchers provided under the scheme shows that 65% of families who attended mediation sessions reached a full or partial agreement away from the family courts, while a further 3% only proceeded to secure a consent order to formalise their agreement.

The increasing popularity of alternative ways of managing divorce like mediation have paved the way for other approaches such as FDR, which is likely to play a big part in NCDR going forward.

For more information on private dispute resolution hearings visit our web page.