The President of the Family Division recently provided ‘The Road Ahead’ guidance for Family Courts following the impact of Covid-19. The Family Courts were unfortunately struggling to cope with the amount of applications, in respect of both financial and children matters, prior to the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, this has got worse, especially due to an influx of new applications, particularly in relation to children matters.
The President is clear that it may be some time before the Courts get ‘back to normal’ and remote hearings are likely to become standard practice in many cases. In order to assist the Courts further, the President emphasises the need to consider Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) to try and settle matters, particularly before court proceedings are initiated, but even during.
The President states “it is clear the court will struggle to cope with the volume of cases in a restricted working environment, it is all the more important that parties, legal advisers and judiciary should have express regards to all forms of non-court dispute resolution…”
Mediation falls within this.
At Barnes Clark Family Law, we offer a mediation service. The process of mediation is to help both parties reach an agreement – in respect of finances, children or both and to enable you to avoid the emotional and financial costs of litigation.
Through the process of mediation, at Barnes Clark Family Law, we can help you to discuss matters in a pragmatic manner, cut through the conflict and assist you to work out your own solutions. This process allows you to retain control of the decisions that will impact you future.
The process also assists you to resolve matters in a more timely manner meaning that you can move forward with your future and not spend many months/years on occasion fighting through the Courts.
It is an important and effective mechanism in resolving issues and now, more than ever, it should be considered by all parties. We have been successful in offering a remote mediation service throughout the COVID-19 pandemic via Zoom and will continue to offer a remote service going forwards meaning that we can be flexible with appointments to assist this ever changing situation.
For further information, or to arrange an appointment please contact us on 01274 861096 (Liversedge) or 01423 637272 (Harrogate) or email enquiries@barnesclarkfamily.law.