Australia

'Money-only' Cases, Accreditation, ADR, Appointment of Mediators, Argument, Australia, caucus, Clients, Commercial Mediation, Conflict, Court Procedure and Litigation, Creativity, Dispute Resolution, Evaluative Mediation, Impasse, Interests, Joint Sessions, Judges as mediators, Lawyers, lawyers in mediation, Legal Issues, Litigation, mediated settlement agreement, Mediation Lawyering, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediation Users/Clients, Mediators’ Conduct, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Preparation, Set Aside a Mediated Agreement, Settlement Agreements, shuttle mediation, Success in mediation, The role of the mediator, Time Pressure, Understanding mediation

(Strategic Resolution)/ /Leave a comment

  Court cases are an important source of guidance for mediators, disputants and their lawyers. They remind us that the law casts a long shadow even when a mediation appears to have resolved successfully. They can rescue us – helping us identify and avoid previously unforeseen difficulties. Here’s an example Mr. and Mrs. Studer moved…

Australia, Mandatory mediation

(Strategic Resolution)/ /6 Comments

Recent blogs by Haris Meidanis on compulsory mediation in Greece prompt me to consider how lucky we are in Australia. Compulsion into mediation is common here. Outcomes are similar to voluntary mediation. It is sometimes argued that mandatory mediation is a contradiction in terms because mediation is “a voluntary process”. This view was adopted by…

Arbitration, Australia, Commercial Mediation, Dispute Resolution, Due Process, Hong Kong, Legal Issues, Legislation, Med-Arb Clauses, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Mediators’ Conduct, The role of the mediator

(Strategic Resolution)/ /Leave a comment

(This post is being republished because of technical problems when it was first published) The recently reported Australian case of Ku-ring-gai Council v Ichor Constructions Pty Ltd [2018] NSWSC 610 (8 May 2018) provides a useful lesson in how not to conduct the hybrid Arb-Med-Arb process, from which (I hope) we might learn how to…

Australia, Developing the Field, Ethics, Future of mediation, lawyers in mediation, mediation models, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Neutrality, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation, Workplace Mediation

(University of Strathclyde)/ /4 Comments

Have you ever wondered who mediators are helping? The parties, obviously! Well, not so obvious to our critics. In this blog I consider worries about mediation’s approach to manifest injustice before making the case for understanding the mediator as co-creator, with the parties, of outcomes. I argue that co-creation enhances the prospects for justice. Stories…

Australia, Commercial Mediation, Domestic Courts, Governments/Public Sector, Judges as mediators, Jurisdiction, Mediation Institutions and Rules, mediation process, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Mediation Schemes (In Courts, etc.)

(Brick Court Chambers / Clifton Chambers)/ /3 Comments

Many jurisdictions have grappled with the extent to which their courts should get themselves involved in the mediation of litigated cases. Many different approaches have found favour around the globe, with diverse programs being implemented in courts from Hong Kong to Florida and places in between. Some courts are hands off while others are heavy handed…

Australia, Clients, Co-mediation, Commercial Mediation, Conventional wisdom, Future of mediation, General, Improvisation, mediation as a career, mediation models, Mediation Practice, Mediation Users/Clients, Mediators’ Conduct, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Skills, Training, Uncategorized

(Bill Marsh Mediator)/ /Leave a comment

The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was once asked why he continued to practice at the age of 90. “Because” he replied, “I think I’m making progress”. It is an extraordinary acknowledgement from a man widely regarded as one of the greatest ever cellists. Let’s be clear – Casals was a colossus in his world. Fritz…

Appointment of Mediators, Australia, Court Procedure and Litigation, Developing the Field, Domestic Courts, Efficiency, Evaluative Mediation, Governments/Public Sector, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), Mediation Institutions and Rules, Mediation Lawyering, Mediation Practice, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Mediators’ Conduct, Public Policy, Reform, Regulation, Responsibility of States, Standards, Uncategorized

(Brick Court Chambers / Clifton Chambers)/ /Leave a comment

As you would expect, judges are appointed for their ability to adjudicate, often untested at the time of elevation to the Bench. Once appointed, many jurisdictions around the world then ask their judges to suspend their adjudication skills in favour of mediating controversies coming before the court, often in an effort to reduce backlogs. And it seems…

Australia, Dispute Resolution, Dispute Resolution Clause, Domestic Courts, EU Directive on Mediation, Judges as mediators, Legal Issues, Legal Practice, Mediation Practice, Regulation, Success in mediation

(Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy)/ /Leave a comment

In his blog post on the 22nd of November, Kenny Aina referred to judges who mediate, commenting that many judges do not possess a mediator’s paradigm. To find out what that is, you will have to read Kenny’s blog. However, like it or not, many judges do mediate, both retired judges and active judges. In…

ADR, Australia, Cross-cultural, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, General, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), Hong Kong, Med-Arb Clauses, Mediation Practice, Mediators’ Conduct, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), Practical Challenges for Mediators, Uncategorized

(Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy)/ /Leave a comment

They say that you can take the girl out of Australia but that you can’t take Australia out of the girl. So as an Australian living in Hong Kong, let me leave the east-meets-west stories for another time and begin with the very Australian concept of BYO. It’s a long established tradition in Australia to…

Australia, Legal Practice, Legislation

(National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council)/ /Leave a comment

Australia is passing legislation encouraging parties to most forms of civil disputes to take genuine steps to resolve their dispute prior to commencing litigation. The idea came from a report of NADRAC (National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council) of which I am the new Chair. NADRAC advises the Commonwealth Attorney-General and has been in existence…