Developing the Field

Commercial Mediation, Community Mediation, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, Family Mediation, Lawyers, lawyers in mediation, Mediation Lawyering, Mediation Practice, mediation traditions, Mindset, Negotiation, Stages of mediation, The role of the mediator, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation

(University of Strathclyde)/ /14 Comments
Lawyer making opening statement in mediation

“The world is made, not found.” (W Barnet Pearce) I had been a mediator for about 10 years before I heard parties’ initial words described as their “opening statement.” This may surprise some readers, though probably not if they began, like me, in family mediation, nor community or workplace. Other descriptions are available, as our…

Appointment of Mediators, Cooperation, cross-border mediation, Decision making, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, Future of mediation, Governments/Public Sector, International Conciliation, International Mediation, Negotiation, peace negotiations, Promoting Mediation, Public Policy, Scotland, Uncategorized

(Core Solutions Group)/ /Leave a comment

Effective inter-governmental relations among the constituent parts of the United Kingdom are essential in an era of increased devolution of powers, post-Brexit allocation of responsibility and contested narratives about the future of the (uncodified) UK constitution. Background One of the rather depressing aspects of the constitutional impasse in the UK is that inter-governmental relations (IGR)…

Clients, Commercial Mediation, Creativity, Decision making, Developing the Field, Evaluative Mediation, Future of mediation

(University of New South Wales)/ /2 Comments

Reading Alan Limbury’s post last week on the value of the partisan challenged my thinking. Like all good challenges it provoked scrutiny of what I do as a mediator and where I consider I add value. As Alan’s partner in life and work it was particularly valuable to debrief his experience with him in greater…

ADR, Conflict, Court Procedure and Litigation, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, Global Pound Conference Series 2016-17, Legal Issues, Mandatory mediation, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Public Policy, Reform

(Strategic Resolution)/ /Leave a comment

As mentioned in my last blog , the UK Civil Justice Council, in its June 2021 Report on  Compulsory ADR , endorsed the idea, contrary to the ruling in the notorious Halsey case, that unwilling parties in dispute may lawfully and appropriately be compelled to participate in a DR process such as mediation. (As an…

Clients, Developing the Field, Feedback, Quality, Uncategorized

(ADR Center Romania)/ /Leave a comment

After completing the mediation process, it is always helpful to receive feedback from participants. The quality of the mediation services we provide is directly related to our ability to draw lessons from feedback from participants and incorporate them into our practice. In this way, the chances of having good results, satisfied participants and future recommendations…

ADR, Arbitration, Court Procedure and Litigation, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, Future of mediation, Mandatory mediation, Mediation Act, Mediation Institutions and Rules, mediation process, Mediation Schemes (In Courts, etc.), Policy, Scotland, Uncategorized

(University of Strathclyde)/ /11 Comments
Shows forms of dispute resolution and the thick line between mediation and arbitration

Law students are probably familiar with a diagram like the one above. It arranges different ways of resolving disputes according to how much say parties have in the outcome. Much as Felstiner and colleagues (1) famously described disputes being transformed into court cases through ‘naming, blaming and claiming,’ this graphic illustrates a parallel transformation in…

Creativity, Developing the Field, General, Peer Coaching, Training, Young Mediators

(National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law)/ /1 Comment

I have in previous entries (July 2012 and July 2013) written about a peer mediation initiative called the Peacemakers Conference. The purpose of the Peacemakers Conference is to teach 13-16 year olds how to resolve conflicts amicably in a workshop cum competition format. This year’s Peacemakers Conference was held from 22 to 24 June 2021….

Developing the Field, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Public Policy, Reform, Success in mediation

(ADR Center Romania)/ /Leave a comment

I wonder how many countries have public institutions that usually use mediation services to resolve disputes in which they are parties. I am not referring primarily to disputes between investors and states, but to any dispute where a public institution is a party that eventually reaches litigation with high financial costs, even and in situations…

ADR, Community Mediation, Developing the Field, International commercial mediation, Mediation Practice, Mediation Training, Promoting Mediation

(Bond & Bond Mediation / University of Wildau )/ /2 Comments

For me, one of the benefits of our new online world has been an increase in opportunities to get to work with people over distance, without having to travel that distance. While I have not physically left an area within a radius of some 60 kilometres since early 2020, I feel connected around the world,…

Court Procedure and Litigation, Developing the Field, Future of mediation, Legal Issues, Mandatory mediation, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, Mediation Schemes (In Courts, etc.), Mediation Users/Clients, Policy, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Public Policy, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation

(University of Strathclyde)/ /13 Comments
Graffiti commenting on truth and its usefulness today

I started mediating in my early 30s, surely old enough to know the difference between truth and fiction. Yet after a couple of years I began to say, first to myself then to my friends, that the concept of truth was ‘no longer useful’ in my work. What did I mean and how did I…