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The Financial Remedies Court (FRC) has issued a new Financial Remedies Guide 2026, bringing together key procedural requirements and guidance governing the conduct of financial remedy proceedings in England and Wales.
The notice announcing the guide was issued with the approval of the President of the Family Division and marks the latest stage in the development of the FRC since its formal establishment in February 2021, following a pilot that began in 2018.
The guide consolidates a range of procedural updates and practice developments into a single document intended to serve as the primary reference for practitioners and litigants involved in financial remedy cases. It incorporates revisions required following changes to Practice Direction 27A, which came into force on 2 March 2026, along with guidance previously issued through notices from the court’s national leadership.
In doing so, the document merges and replaces earlier efficiency statements that had governed the management of financial remedy cases, including the High Court Efficiency Statement issued in 2016 and the Efficiency Statement for cases below High Court level issued in 2022.
The guide addresses a wide range of procedural matters relevant to financial remedy litigation. These include the role of non-court dispute resolution, the duty on parties to negotiate, case allocation processes, and guidance on injunctions such as freezing injunctions and Hemain injunctions, which are ordinarily to be heard within the family court rather than the High Court.
Further sections cover the steps required at each stage of the financial remedy process, the content of section 25 witness statements, preparation of court bundles, the format and timing of position statements, and requirements for drafting and lodging orders.
While the guide largely consolidates existing practice rather than introducing substantive procedural reform, one notable change is an increase in the financial threshold for cases to be allocated to High Court level. The threshold has been raised from £15 million to £20 million.
The publication also includes an updated overview of the structure of the FRC, together with a revised schedule of regional zones and their lead judges.
In a joint notice, Mr Justice Peel, National Lead Judge of the FRC, and His Honour Judge Hess, Deputy National Lead Judge, said the guide is intended to provide a coherent framework for the management of financial remedy proceedings and to support continued modernisation within the family justice system.
The document was prepared by a working group comprising HHJ Hess, Nicholas Allen KC, Rhys Taylor, Michael Allum and Lily Mottahedan. Consultation was also carried out with HM Courts and Tribunals Service, the court’s zonal lead judges, Resolution and the Family Law Bar Association.
According to the notice, the guide should now be regarded as the essential reference document for the conduct of all financial remedies cases within the FRC.
