Family Law Arbitration

When a relationship breaks down it can be a challenging time, and you may be finding it difficult to reach an agreement with your former partner regarding shared property, finances or child arrangements.

In certain circumstances, family arbitration offers another useful route to help resolve disputes. It involves you and your partner appointing an arbitrator to make a decision that will be binding between you.

This means you will avoid the additional stress, delay and expense of going to court and appearing before a judge.

The process of arbitration is flexible and can be tailored to the needs and wishes of the parties involved.

Free Initial Discussion

For a free initial discussion and a no-obligation quote, get in touch with us today by simply calling us on 01234 343134 or email us at enquiries@fullersfamilylaw.com and a member of our team will get back to you.

What is Family Arbitration?

Arbitration is a process used for resolving different types of family disputes and is specifically beneficial for matters including finances and child arrangements.

The process differs from mediation in that rather than focusing on helping you and your former partner reach agreements, an arbitrator will listen to both of your viewpoints and concerns and will make a decision based on what they think is the most suitable way to move forward.

For matters regarding children, an arbitrator will always reach a decision based on what they think will be in the best interests and wellbeing of any child or children. 

Once an arbitrator has been appointed, it is common for a preliminary meeting to be held between the parties, legal representatives and the arbitrator, to examine the disputes and agree on a process and timetable.

The arbitrator’s decision is binding on the parties, and is often followed by an application to the court to incorporate the award into a formal court order.

Advantages of Arbitration

There are many advantages of seeking arbitration rather than going through traditional court proceedings, such as:

• Choice of arbitrator: you will be in control of choosing an independent expert best suited to your situation. Arbitrators typically tend to be experienced solicitors, barristers, legal executives and retired judges.
• Choice of issues: you can choose what you want the arbitrator to decide.
• Confidentiality: there is no possibility of media reporting, making the matter completely private.
• Continuity: the same arbitrator will deal with all the steps in your case
• Potential cost savings: although you pay for the arbitrator, the ability to limit the issues, adapt the process and get a decision more quickly tends to reduce costs. The costs of going to court are usually far higher.
• Speed: you will recieve a decision much more quickly by using arbitration as a method of dispute resolution.

There are some situations where arbitration might not be a suitable option and we can advise you on what those are. However, in many cases, arbitration is a useful method to help resolve matters.

Our team of family solicitors will take the time to understand your situation and will assess if arbitration is suitable for you circumstances.

We will also help guide you through the process step by step, providing you with our expertise combined with sensitivity and understanding.

How to get in contact

We understand that finding a solicitor that you feel understands your own specific situation can be a daunting task. So, you can book a free callback with us here.

We have also created a series of fixed-price consultation meetings with a full no questions asked money-back guarantee promise.

To get in touch with us, please call 01234 343134 or email us at enquiries@fullersfamilylaw.com and a member of our team will get back to you.

We can help clients face-to face or remotely from our network of offices across the country.