Gavin Smith
UK Bar Guide 2025
Band 1 : Family/Matrimonial: ADR
Band 1
About
Provided by Gavin Smith
Practice Areas
Financial remedies: arbitrator and private Financial Dispute Resolution evaluator.
Gavin Smith has three decades’ experience as a specialist family law barrister, dealing with all types of financial remedy proceedings following relationship breakdown.
Gavin now focusses full time on his established practice as an arbitrator and private FDR evaluator. He is described in Chambers and Partners as ‘an extremely detailed, thorough and experienced ADR practitioner’. In DB v DLJ [2016] EWHC 324 (Fam), Mr Justice Mostyn referred to Gavin’s arbitration award as ‘a thorough, conscientious and clear piece of work. Its quality is a testament to the merit of opting for arbitration.’
Gavin is available to undertake arbitrations of all kinds, from single-issue disputes to those involving the full range of financial remedy claims, and from high value cases to ones where the parties’ resources are modest.
He is also an experienced private FDR evaluator, assisting couples on separation by giving them an assessment of the likely outcome in their case, and thus providing them with a basis for a negotiated settlement.
Career
Call 1981
Professional Memberships
Family Law Bar Association
Resolution
Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Forum of Family Arbitrators
Institute of Family Law Arbitrators
Publications
At A Glance: Essential Tables for Financial Remedies (annual)
At A Glance Cloud
Financial Remedies Practice (annual)
FamilyArbitrator.com
Rayden and Jackson, 18th and 19th editions
Halsbury’s Laws of England, 4th edition reissue: Vol 29(3), Matrimonial Law
Enforcing Financial Orders in Family Proceedings
Chambers Review
UK Bar
Gavin Smith attracts praise for the extent of his experience in ADR. He concentrates his practice on private FDRs and arbitrations involving properties, pensions and family loans.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Gavin is a very accomplished operator.He has an excellent manner with both the professional and lay parties to his hearings and has an excellent track record in achieving settlement."
"He was authoritative without being overbearing and good at managing the situation. He managed matters in an empathetic way and produced a very well-reasoned decision."
"He was incredibly well prepared and very patient. He got the detail of the case and was very, very considered in his manner."
"Gavin is a very accomplished operator.He has an excellent manner with both the professional and lay parties to his hearings and has an excellent track record in achieving settlement."
"He was authoritative without being overbearing and good at managing the situation. He managed matters in an empathetic way and produced a very well-reasoned decision."
"He was incredibly well prepared and very patient. He got the detail of the case and was very, very considered in his manner."
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