The biggest problem I found with the AR Protocol was the FDR charade - separate rooms with the most expensive go-between ever and chinese whisper ­style­ negotiation - I don't know whether FDRs are all done on this separate rooms basis - I can't find it as a requirement in the AR protocol - so is it regarded as obligatory for each side to be in separate rooms and if so why?
I do understand that for some couples it would be unacceptable to be in the same room and the separate room option must be available.
To this day I don't know if my ex refused index-­link­ing of periodical payments or my barrister just failed to cover that ­base­ ....and so on - through all the things I wanted or didn't know I could get.
I needed the threat of "court" because two years after separation my husband still wouldn't come to the table and the court ti­meta­ble gave structure and hope of an end to it all - he only began to consider the financial implications when he received the court appointment date but then because he recognised it as a competition with no rules he went from doing nothing to fighting for every penny regardless.
Is there a middle route? Can we just insert a mediated collaborative procedure as the second step after disclosure in the Ancillary Relief Protocol in place of FDR - or are they mutually exclusive?

These seem to be the legal basis of the Ancillary Relief Protocol ? :
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1999/19993491.htm
"The FDR appointment
2.61E - (1) The FDR appointment must be treated as a meeting held for the purposes of discussion and negotiation and paragraphs (2) to (9) apply.

(2) The district judge or judge hearing the FDR appointment must have no further involvement with the application, other than to conduct any further FDR appointment or to make a consent order or a further directions order.

(3) Not later than 7 days before the FDR appointment, the applicant must file with the court details of all offers and proposals, and responses to them.

(4) Paragraph (3) includes any offers, proposals or responses made wholly or partly without prejudice, but paragraph (3) does not make any material admissible as evidence if, but for that paragraph, it would not be admissible.

(5) At the conclusion of the FDR appointment, any documents filed under paragraph (3), and any filed documents referring to them, must, at the request of the party who filed them, be returned to him and not retained on the court file.

(6) Parties attending the FDR appointment must use their best endeavours to reach agreement on the matters in issue between them.

(7) The FDR appointment may be adjourned from time to time.

(8) At the conclusion of the FDR appointment, the court may make an appropriate consent order, but otherwise must give directions for the future course of the proceedings, including, where appropriate, the filing of evidence and fixing a final hearing date.

(9) Both parties must personally attend the FDR appointment unless the court orders otherwise."

Nothing about using a runner between all divorcing couples - where did that come from?
Apart from making it look as though solicitors are essential at FDR - what does separation at FDR achieve?