FORMER DISTRICT JUDGE TO CONDUCT PRIVATE FDR HEARINGS

We are all painfully aware of the considerable pressure that has been placed on the family justice system in recent years. Prior to the pandemic, there were already escalating delays in cases being progressed. The pandemic magnified these delays. Furthermore, we experienced a significant increase in the number of new cases having to be dealt with by the family Court as the enforced confinement of couples during the lockdown led to a wave of domestic violence and divorce cases being filed.

This ongoing increase in demand has meant that separating couples now have to wait months to have their case heard in Court which has resulted in many legal practitioners encouraging their client to engage in private FDR hearings as an alternative to the Court system.

Former District Judge Vera Stamenkovich has seen first-hand how long cases can take to resolve and following her retirement from the full time District Bench on 21st August 2021, she sat in retirement for a year as a Deputy District Judge to help with some of the backlog. She retired fully from the Bench in August 2022 and has now decided to offer herself as a Judge for private FDR hearings throughout the East Midlands.

Vera commented: “The length of time that its currently taking to resolve these cases adds so much strain and cost to what is already a very difficult situation. Having recently retired from the District Bench, carrying out private FDR hearings felt like the natural next step for me. It will allow me to use the expertise I have built up over many years as a Judge dealing with multiple financial remedy cases and means that I can continue to support the legal community and their clients to resolve their disputes more swiftly. I will be pleased to continue working with so many of the family law solicitors and barristers that I have dealt with over my years as a District Judge.”

Admitted as a Solicitor in 1980, Vera was appointed as a Deputy District Judge in 1992 and a District Judge in 1998. She has also served as Chairman of the Midland Circuit District Judges, and has been an Appraisal and Mentoring Judge.

As the first female president of Leicestershire Law Society, Vera was also awarded the Presidents’ Choice Award for a Lifetime of Achievement in Law at the Leicestershire Law Society Awards 2020, which were presented in 2021 due to the pandemic.

Vera added: “I do not think it is a surprise that alternative forms of dispute resolution such as private FDRs are becoming ever more popular as the indications are that they are very successful in bringing about a swift resolution to financial dispute cases in family law. I am very much looking forward to this change of direction.”

For further information, Vera Stamenkovich Private FDR Services can be contacted on 0116 214 6671.

Contacts:

Derby & District Law Society: Julia Saunders - admin@derbylaw.net

Leicestershire Law Society: Kauser Patel - office@leicestershirelawsociety. org.uk

Nottinghamshire Law Society: Michelle Foster - michelle.foster@nottslawsoc. org

Northamptonshire Law Society : Carolyn Coles - sec.nls@outlook.com

Warwickshire Law Society: lesley@warwickshirelawsociety.com

Lincoln Law Society: Alan Tasker - Lincs.Law@Btconnect.com