Can both parties appoint their own pensions expert?
Both parties could appoint their own pensions expert during ancillary relief proceedings, however, by the final hearing the court will expect any expert evidence to be provided by a single pensions expert. In the early stages two pensions experts mean that the parties will have an extra cost in valuing the retirement benefits. If the parties could come to an agreement through their solicitors to use one pensions expert to calculate a fair value, this would keep the costs down. If the parties use their own experts and different values are reached for the retirement benefits, this will create animosity between the parties, prolong the legal process and increase costs further. Ultimately if the parties cannot agree on a single pensions expert either at the first appointment or at financial dispute resolution (FDR) the court will apply its power under part 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 to instruct that expert evidence be given by a single pensions expert as the step-by-step guide sh
