Private DRA
In court, a Dispute Resolution Appointment (DRA) is one hearing, in a busy court list, at which a judge or magistrates assists the parties in attempting to resolve their dispute and agree child arrangements.
A Private DRA (pDRA) involves a specialist independent and neutral third party (the evaluator) assisting the parties in reaching an agreement. This is achieved by the evaluator undertaking an assessment and appraisal of the parties’ positions and offering them the likely outcome, if the issue was before the court, and helping them to resolve or narrow their issues. However, cases involving any safeguarding concerns cannot be assessed through a private DRA process and instead must be handled in court.
Faster Dispute Resolution
Specialist in Field
Single Case Allocation
Privacy
The process can be used for both child arrangements and financial disputes, and for both issues to be discussed together.
Private DRA’s have the following advantages over court DRAs:
Speed: pDRA’s can be arranged quicker than court hearings which can reduce cost and stress and allows for finality much sooner, which is particularly important if there is a time-sensitive dispute. Early resolution is better for all family members, particularly children. We can host pDRAs at our premises, we can conduct them at the offices of your solicitor or we can set them up for a remote meeting.
Specialist: The evaluator will be a specialist in the law relating to children. We have a team of experts with a wide range of experience who can assist you in resolving one or more issues, however simple or complex.
Attention: The evaluator will have time to prepare, and consider, your case carefully in advance and to hear representations and address only your case on the day. In court, the judge could be allocated many cases in a busy court list each day, which could be dealt with that day.
Facilities: We have the facilities to arrange pDRA’s at our premises in a suitable conference room where the parties can also have their own separate conference rooms for discussions. We will provide refreshments and arrange an environment which will enable the parties to negotiate and consult with the evaluator in a way which is far less stressful than court and which will be free of the time constraints of a judge at a busy court.
Private DRA Judges
Private DRA Judge Fees - half day/full day
Roger Bickerdike (1986) - £3,000/£4,000
Guy Swiffen (1991) - £2,000/£3,000
Dornier Whittaker (1994) - £1,750/£2,500
Jayne Pye (1995) - £2,500/£3,500
Zira Hussain (1998) - £1,500/£2,500
Joanne O’Shea (2000) - £1,500/£2,500
Helen Williams (2000) - £1,500/£2,500
Kiran Dhillon (2005) - £1,500/£2,500
Emily Ward (2011) - £2,500/£3,000
Christopher Rowe (2014) - £1,500/£2,500
Ned Sproston (2014) - £1,250/£2,000
Harry Wiltshire (2015) - £1,250/£2,000
Anna Sutcliffe (2015) - £1,500/£2,500
Emily Hughes (2014) - £1,000/£2,000
All fees are plus VAT and subject to an assessment of the bundle.
Private DRA Representation
