Dispute Resolution | Private Fdr Ene

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Private FDR/ENE

Private FDR/ENE

The Financial Dispute Resolution Appointment (‘FDR’) is an important court hearing where a judge provides the parties with an early neutral evaluation as to the likely outcome if the case were to proceed to a contested final hearing. The judge does not, however, have the power to make an order if the parties cannot agree.

Court FDRs have a high success rate – many cases settle at or shortly after the hearing based on the indication the court has given. However, they have their limitations:

Because court lists are congested, there is usually a considerable delay before the FDR takes place.
As with other court hearings, the parties have no power to choose who the judge will be.
The judge is often only allocated the case the day before and will also have many cases in their list: as a result, and through no fault of their own, the judge does not always have the chance to read all the papers in advance of the hearing.
The FDR can only take place at a specified time in the progress of a case.
Family disputes are often about more than one area: for instance, children and money. An FDR will normally only be able to deal with one area.

Several members of 29 Bedford Row, many of whom are experienced part-time judges or arbitrators (or both), offer private early neutral evaluation, often known as a ‘private FDR’. As in a court FDR, the evaluator encourages the parties towards settlement and expresses a clear view on the likely outcome if the dispute were to go to court. Again, there is no power to impose a settlement.

Private FDRs offer great advantages:

They can happen before court proceedings are started or at any stage during the court process.
There is very little delay.
The parties have the power to choose an evaluator in whom they and their lawyers have confidence.
The evaluator will have had the opportunity to read all the papers and fully prepare for the occasion.
The FDR can deal with all or any aspects of the dispute which the parties wish.
The FDR can take place either at 29 Bedford Row (or wherever else the parties wish). Our evaluators are happy to travel.

The recent refurbishment of our buildings mean that we now offer 11 large and well-appointed rooms with high-speed AV connections for use during private FDRs.

The table below sets out the standard fees charged by members of chambers for a one-day private FDR and where the hearing bundle is limited to approximately 350 pages. The fee also includes all preparation and reading time.

Please contact the Senior Clerk, James Shortall, if you consider the standard fee is unlikely to be appropriate or if you would like any further information.

Select a Barrister

Barrister	Fee (£)
Alexis Campbell KC JHOC	7,500 + VAT
Nicholas Allen KC JHOC	7,500 + VAT
Timothy Scott KC	7,500 + VAT
Philip Cayford KC	7,500 + VAT
Patrick Chamberlayne KC	7,500 + VAT
Howard Shaw KC	7,500 + VAT
Christopher Wagstaffe KC	7,500 + VAT
Brent Molyneux KC	7,500 + VAT
Peter Mitchell KC	7,500 + VAT
Peter Duckworth	4,000 + VAT
Clare Renton	4,000 + VAT
David Walden-Smith	3,500 + VAT
Nicholas Chapman	4,000 + VAT
Lee Arnot	4,000 + VAT
Jonathan Tod	4,000 + VAT
Sally Max	4,000 + VAT
Richard Bates	4,000 + VAT
Victoria Domenge	4,000 + VAT
Judith Butler	3,500 + VAT

Barrister	Fee (£)
Ken Collins	4,000 + VAT
Sassa-Ann Amaouche	4,000 + VAT
Lucy Owens	4,000 + VAT
Laura Heaton	5,000 + VAT
Simon Calhaem	4,000 + VAT
Anthony Geadah	3,500 + VAT
Victoria Francis	3,500 + VAT
Ben Fearnley	3,500 + VAT
Max Lewis	3,500 + VAT
Christopher Butterfield	3,000 + VAT
Lynsey Cade Davies	3,000 + VAT
Richard Tambling	3,000 + VAT
Nicholas Bennett	3000 + VAT
Petra Teacher	3,000 + VAT
Conor Fee	3,000 + VAT
Helen Williams	3,000 + VAT
Amber Sheridan	3,000 + VAT
Anton J. Eriera	3,000 + VAT
James Finch	2,750 + VAT