DR Corner

DR Corner: The Psychology of Divorce: Integrating Psychological Theory, Family Law and Interdisciplinary Practice

[2026] 2 FRJ 166. This article brings together psychological theory, research and developments in family law concerning children and financial arrangements to examine divorce as an integrated legal and psychological process, and mediation, collaborative law and child focused reform initiatives.

DR Corner: Arbitration, Litigation and Biscuits

[2026] 1 FRJ 70. A member of the author's chambers once described the private FDR as a court FDR, with biscuits. But arbitration and litigation are also different in other important ways, and arbitration is not just another form of consensual non-court dispute resolution (NCDR).

DR Corner: The Role of the Lawyer in Mediation

This article focuses on mediation, and specifically civil/commercial and hybrid mediation, deployed in the family law context. What is mediation? What are the essentials of the different types of mediation? How do they compare? And what are the key points that family lawyers need to understand?

DR Corner: Thinking Outside the Box – Two Different Forms of NCDR

DR Corner: Thinking Outside the Box – Two Different Forms of NCDR

On a number of occasions when sitting, Stephen heard Dr Freda Gardner, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, say in evidence as an expert witness: ‘the issues in this family should never have developed to a point where this litigation became necessary’. Then, one day, they met outside the court environment, and he

DR Corner: Is NCDR Appropriate in Financial Remedy Cases where there is Domestic Abuse?

DR Corner: Is NCDR Appropriate in Financial Remedy Cases where there is Domestic Abuse?

In October 2024, a Resolution multi-disciplinary working party published a report, Domestic abuse in financial remedy proceedings. Described as a ‘groundbreaking’ consideration of the interplay between domestic abuse and the treatment of finances on separation and divorce, this 18-month project is a powerful call for change from eminent family law

DR Corner: Early Reflections on Pre-Application Protocol – Seismic Shift or Damp Squib?

DR Corner: Early Reflections on Pre-Application Protocol – Seismic Shift or Damp Squib?

Family judges don’t have it easy. When the combined wisdom of a thousand cases leads to the identification of a particular problem, what are they to do about it? Publishing a judgment provides the most obvious and immediate answer. But often such pleas resemble the proverbial pebble dropped into

DR Corner: Introducing Assent: Combining Arbitration and Private FDRs in a Streamlined Process based on the FPR Directions

DR Corner: Introducing Assent: Combining Arbitration and Private FDRs in a Streamlined Process based on the FPR Directions

Anyone who has tried to arrange a Private Financial Dispute Resolution (pFDR) will be familiar with that sinking feeling when the process is slipping away. It starts with a low-level dispute over the judge, the date or the location of the hearing. Then a seemingly innocuous question about disclosure. A