New research has revealed a huge increase in couples using private methods of determination in divorce hearings rather than go through the Family Court. 

There has been a nearly 200 percent increase in the use of private Financial Dispute Resolution hearings (FDRs) in England and Wales in a 3-year period to the end of 2018, with further growth of 25 percent having been expected by the end of 2019 and forecast to continue in 2020.

In a private FDR, the parties ask a judge they have appointed themselves who is a financial specialist – often a recently retired judge or practising barrister – to advise what the cou...