The arbitration scheme for children’s cases was launched this summer and is an interesting new development in family justice, increasing access to quick decisions within the framework of the law, but outside the constraints of the court system. We wrote about it here. This week has seen news of the first concluded arbitration relating to children’s arrangements, so we thought we’d have a look at what happened. Arbitration is private, so we don’t know a huge amount about the case. What we do know is that the dispute in question was a difference of opinion between parents about child arrangements,…
We’re pretty big fans of out-of-court dispute resolution at CFLP, as in our view the court is not always the best place to settle disputes that have arisen out of intimate relationships. Sometimes court proceedings are unavoidable; but wherever there is a possibility of keeping things away from a judge, we try to do that. We negotiate, mediate, collaborate on behalf of our clients when appropriate to do so. Also, now, we can arbitrate in children matters. Simon Bethel is among the first qualified specialist Family Law Arbitrators for children cases in this country. The scheme was formally launched…
At CFLP we are big fans of keeping people out of court if it is practicable to do so. Courts aren’t fun places to be, and although there are some circumstances when it is impossible to avoid court, generally we encourage our clients to try to take advantage of other options for the resolution of family disputes. You can read more about these alternative options here. Family arbitration is still regarded as the new kid on the block in terms of family dispute resolution, but its advantages are becoming more widely known and its use is growing. It works by…
This week is Resolution’s third Family Dispute Resolution Week. It’s an awareness-raising campaign which aims to highlight the alternatives to court for separating couples and their families. There are events going on around the country to help spread the word that there are alternatives to courtroom battles for separating couples, and there’s been plenty of media coverage already on the surveys commissioned by Resolution about the effects of divorce on kids and the working economy (see e.g. here, here and here). As you know, at CFLP we are keen on using the right horse for the course, and in many circumstances,…
