header-logo header-logo

Could “Alternative” be the new norm in Family Law?

17 June 2020
Issue: 7891 / Categories: Media Partners , Features , Family , ADR , Profession
printer mail-detail
22827
The Family Online Mediation and Arbitration Service (FOMAS

Although an option for dealing with family disputes for a number of years, uptake has been relatively low. There are of course obvious reasons for this such as the perceived high cost of Private FDRs and Arbitration, reluctance to move away from traditional court proceedings and a general lack of detailed understanding of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) options.

Prior to the Covid19 pandemic, the family courts in England and Wales were already under significant pressure and parties were subject to lengthy delays in getting a hearing date. Unfortunately, due to Covid19 pandemic these delays can be expected to increase. Therefore, there is now a further increased importance in parties attempting to resolve their financial and children disputes via ADR, thus saving valuable court time for cases involving vulnerable people or where judicial intervention is necessary.

It was with these points in mind that The Family Online Mediation and Arbitration Service (FOMAS) set its

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
back-to-top-scroll