Members of Trinity's Family and Matrimonial Finance team recently conducted a Family Law Arbitration under the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators (IFLA) Scheme completely remotely.
Representing each party were Trinity barristers Timothy Spain and John O'Sullivan. Brian Mather was the nominated Arbitrator. The Arbitration, a screenshot of which can be seen here, lasted over 5 hours, however the matter was ultimately resolved without any of the parties or their representatives having to leave their homes.
Commenting on the remote Family Arbitration process, Kath Hill, Head of the Family team at Swinburne Maddison LLP who acted for one of the parties said:
"I was very impressed by the speed and efficiency by which it was set up compared to the Court process.”
In addition, Louise Masters, Senior Associate Solicitors at Sintons' Family team, acting for the other party said:
"Utmost thanks to Trinity Chambers for helping to arrange and hosting a one day ‘Zoom’ Arbitration. The process was flawless and will, in the interests of all professionals and clients, be promoted far and wide."
In response to the impact of COVID-19, barristers from Trinity's Family and Matrimonial Finance team and Clerks have worked with instructing solicitors to develop a range of remotely accessible Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) options and support, including remote Private FDRs and Family Law Arbitration hearings. Trinity has 3 IFLA Arbitrators and several members of the team sit as Deputy District Judges.
Trinity's Family and Matrimonial Finance barristers and clerking team recognise that some of these solutions may be new to many of our clients and as such we would be more than happy to spend some time discussing the various options available, the process, technical/IT requirements and likely fees.
If you have any queries, do not hesitate to get in touch with the Family clerking team, who are operating a full service, by email: FamilyClerks@trinitychambers.co.uk or phone: 0191 232 1927.