If you’re going through a divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership, you may find you’re having to negotiate complex financial issues with your ex-partner. Financial disputes can be a major issue when a couple separates, and you might need some expert help to resolve the matter without going to Court.
If you’ve exchanged financial information, but need additional expert help to reach a resolution, a Private Financial Dispute Resolution (pFDR) service may be the answer. You may have had legal advice or be going through mediation but need a neutral evaluation before you can reach an agreement. This process is a faster, cheaper, and less formal way of reaching a financial settlement than going through the courts.
A completely neutral evaluation of the likely result of your case by an independent expert can help you and your ex-partner understand what you could each gain and/or lose. This is often an invaluable process for separating couples, with many settling their entire case at this stage.
We also support other law firms and barristers, by being the impartial expert who can help your clients though the pFDR process.
There are several ways family lawyers can help separating couples stay out of Court. These include mediation, collaborative law, and a pFDR service. We are committed to offering a full range of these services. We’ll be able to help you understand the alternatives available and choose what’s right for you.
Our Private FDR service gives you an informed indication of the likely outcome of your financial remedy claim. This can be arranged at a date and time that's convenient for you. The process is the same as a Financial Dispute Resolution hearing (FDR) at Court, but without the delay and cost of Court proceedings.
Toby Hales, a partner in our family team, has been practicing family law exclusively since 1996. Toby sits as a Deputy District Judge, which means he conducts in-Court FDRs on a regular basis.
At a private FDR, we will be available for an entire day to consider the case. We’ll offer an indication of how a Court is likely to determine the case, help with any negotiations that take place, and hopefully approve a fair and final settlement.
We’ve offices in major cities throughout the UK, where we can hold your private FDR. We can also conduct them remotely if needed or at the offices of your legal representative.
Contact us today to discuss your circumstances.
Although court FDRs have a high level of success, private FDRs bring even more benefits, including a guarantee of privacy and a dedicated private FDR judge. This judge will be with you throughout the day and will have had time to read all the papers involved in your case. This means they can give you a tailored indication on the likely outcomes, and the whole process is less stressful than court appearances often are.
Although the private FDR judge has no power to make an order if an agreement can’t be reached, any settlement achieved at a private FDR is legally binding, so the service represents a quicker and cheaper way of resolving matrimonial disputes. At the very least, a private FDR can go a long way towards reaching agreements through informal discussion with an experienced judge, who can give expert advice on the likely outcome of a divorce in court.
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