Sir Peter is the most senior member of the Riverview Family Mediation and Arbitration team. He is a specialist family dispute resolution facilitator with a superb legal pedigree. During a highly distinguished career before the Courts, he practised as a barrister for 25 years (six of those in silk) and subsequently sat as a High Court Judge on the Family Division Bench for 18 years. He now utilises his vast experience in family law to provide high-level assistance to separating and separated couples attempting to reach agreement on finances and/or their children in an out-of-court and less adversarial setting.

Sir Peter accepts instructions to conduct private Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) meetings either in parallel with or as an alternative to Court proceedings. The principal advantage of private FDR meetings is the speed with which they can be undertaken, in contrast to waiting for what may be several months for a comparable High Court hearing-date. “It’s also reassuring for clients to be able to choose the person who will be presiding at the meeting,” adds Sir Peter, “whereas in the High Court you have to accept whoever you draw on that day's list.”

Sir Peter also acts in a non-representative capacity as an independent and neutral mediator (trained by Resolution) in both domestic and cross-border child disputes. He brings substantial experience to bear in this area and has particular expertise in Hague Convention abduction cases, as well as those involving non-convention countries and relocation disputes generally.

He is also an Arbitrator accredited to undertake arbitrations subject to the Scheme Rules of the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators (IFLA), operating under the aegis of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The IFLA Scheme is available to those wishing to achieve an outcome to their family financial dispute with greater rapidity and confidentiality, retaining more control over the pace and nature of the process than is inherent in conventional court proceedings. This process often has the added bonus of overall cost savings.

In addition to his FDR, arbitration and mediation work, Sir Peter is able to provide an expert and authoritative opinion or to give evidence to assist foreign courts applying for or requiring evidence of UK domestic law in family disputes. He is also trained in collaborative law procedures.

Over the years, Sir Peter’s experience has spanned a wide range of family law issues and interests at the highest levels, both in the UK and overseas. As a barrister he appeared in Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands. He was a member of the UK judicial team that visited Pakistan in 2003, leading to the agreement of the UK-Pakistan Protocol for the return of abducted children. His numerous posts and appointments have included being Chairman of the Family Law Bar Association, Vice-President of the European Chapter of the international Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a member of the Family Justice Council's International Family Law Committee. He is currently the UK representative on a European Union working party considering means to promote the use of international family mediation.

Sir Peter also frequently lectures and presents to international conferences/seminars on topics such as cross-border family dispute mediation, child abduction, and forced marriage.

Publications

Sir Peter has been since its creation a member of the editorial board that produces the Family Law Bar Association’s annual publication At a Glance: Essential Court Tables for Ancillary Relief (now in its 20th edition); he is also one of the creators of and a contributor to both its companion software program @eGlance, and to the Duxbury calculator Capitalise.

Memberships

The Family Law Bar Association
Resolution
International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
Centre for Family Law and Practice
Central London Collaborative Forum
GEMME, the European Association of Judges for Mediation

Languages

Fluent French, modest German