Family arbitration—introduction

Produced in partnership with Suzanne Kingston of Mills & Reeve
Practice notes

Family arbitration—introduction

Produced in partnership with Suzanne Kingston of Mills & Reeve

Practice notes
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This PrACTice Note outlines the process of Arbitration in family cases, which has been available for financial Disputes since March 2012, and for children issues since July 2016. It considers the applicable rules, the role of a solicitor acting for a party in reaching a binding arbitration and the key benefits of arbitration. It also details the coverage of the Institute of Family Arbitrators (IFLA) scheme and the powers of the arbitrator. For practical guidance on the role of the courts in relation to arbitral awards or determinations, see Practice Note: Family arbitration—the role of the courts.

On 27 March 2023, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) published a consultation into the Arbitration Act 1996 (AA 1996). The consultation is part of a wider project requested by the MoJ in March 2021 to review AA 1996 and ensure it remains up to date. This is the second consultation paper into AA 1996 as part of the project. The second consultation closed on 22 May 2023.

On 6 September 2023, the Law Commission made final recommendations to

Suzanne Kingston
Suzanne Kingston

Suzanne is widely known for her expertise in all aspects of family work, in particular the resolution of complex financial issues for high net worth individuals. Suzanne's cases often have an international element and she has considerable experience in dealing with prenuptial agreements and cohabitation issues. As a member of the Children Panel, Suzanne has dealt with numerous cases involving complicated Children Act 1989 issues as well as both child abduction and adoption. She is an accredited Resolution mediator and has a thriving mediation practice having recently undertaken a number of referrals under the Court of Appeal mediation scheme. In addition, Suzanne is a qualified collaborative lawyer and collaborative law trainer for Resolution.

Suzanne was described in Chambers 2010 as 'deal(ing) with big money cases in an intelligent and business-like manner and is much loved by her clients'.Suzanne was recognised in the Legal 500 2009 as 'very knowledgeable team-driven and proactive in achieving results without aggravating often difficult matrimonial issues'. She was recommended in Spears Wealth Management 2010 and included in the Citywealth 2010 leading lawyers list. .

Suzanne has acted for well known personalities including footballers, actors and well known business people. She is able to use her skill set in litigation as well as assisting clients via alternative dispute resolution whether that be mediation or collaborative law. .

Suzanne is often quoted in national newspapers on family law topics of the day and is a renowned trainer. .

She spearheaded Resolution's training of collaborative counsel and family arbitration training. Suzanne has lectured at the Hong Kong Family Law Association and was a guest speaker at the Ville D'Estate for Barclays Wealth. .

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Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom
Key definition:
Family arbitration definition
What does Family arbitration mean?

Family arbitration is a form of non-court dispute resolution in family cases.

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