If negotiation fails or if there is a good reason why the intervention of the court is required an application can be made. The court will fix a preliminary hearing date and order the parties to prepare for that by taking the initial steps to disclose their financial positions. Your solicitor will guide you through this process which has deadline dates prescribed by the Court. The fact that a court application has been made does not mean that negotiations cannot continue and proposals for settlement can be made at any stage.  At the first hearing the Judge will made orders to ensure there is a clear picture of the assets and issues and will fix a second hearing which is a Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) hearing – designed to allow settlement negotiations to take place with input from a Judge. Many cases are settled at this stage and final hearings are relatively rare. Increasingly private Arbitration and private Financial Dispute Resolution Hearings are being used for a quicker and often more cost-effective approach to resolving disputes and the possibility of taking your case outside the court process should be carefully considered and discussed with a family lawyer.