Financial Early Neutral Evaluation (FENE) is a process that is similar to Early Neutral Evaluation for custody and parenting time issues (which is sometimes referred to as Social Early Neutral Evaluation (SENE), to distinguish it from Financial Early Neutral Evaluation). The FENE model does not contemplate a team of two evaluators, as in SENE; instead there is one evaluator handling a FENE process.
The “early” aspect of FENE is important, because financial disputes in family law can be costly and time-consuming. If the parties engage in the FENE process early on, they may save a great deal of time, energy and money, and still obtain a fair resolution.
The financial evaluator gathers the information about the dispute that the evaluator needs to address the issue. This is very helpful in the financial arena, because oftentimes parties do not know the difference between relevant and irrelevant financial data. The financial evaluator has the insight, and the neutrality, to help determine what financial data is needed, and what is not needed.
As in the case of Early Neutral Evaluation regarding parenting issues, in FENE, the evaluator can help facilitate a resolution and/or provide their neutral view of how the court might address the financial issues in a courtroom dispute. Therefore, if the FENE process does not result in resolution, parties likely leave the process ahead of where they were at the beginning: with an impartial assessment of what data is relevant, as well as an impartial assessment of the substantive financial issues.