A group of leading barristers is about to launch the world's first virtual arbitration service.

Dispute Resolution by Barristers (DRB) is comprised of 50 barristers from the Oxford and Midlands circuit, largely made up of full-time, part-time and ex-judges who are all fully qualified arbitrators.

The group was formed to offer the kind of alternative dispute resolution service that will become common when the Woolf reforms come into place on April 26.