Legal Issues

Accreditation, ADR, Availability of Mediators, Clients, Commercial Mediation, Court Procedure and Litigation, Cross-cultural, Developing the Field, Future of mediation, General, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), harmonisation of mediation law, International Mediation, Jurisdiction, Legal Issues, Legal Practice, Legislation, Mediation Act, Mediation Institutions and Rules, Mediation Practice, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Mediation Schemes (In Courts, etc.), National Mediation Laws, Reform, Samoa, Stories, Training, Understanding mediation

(Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy)/ /1 Comment

From the Samoan Observer 28 August 2013 Chief Justice, His Honour Patu Tiava’asue Falefatu Sapolu yesterday launched Samoa’s Mediation Rules 2013 during a gathering at the Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) fale. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi was among Cabinet Ministers and senior government officials present. Also present was the Speaker of the House, La’auli Leuatea…

ADR, Developing the Field, General, Legal Issues, Legislation, Uncategorized

(Mediar360 - Dispute Resolution )/ /1 Comment

According to the National Council of Justice, there are close to 90 million lawsuits currently in course in Brazil. On average, it takes around 10 years for a lawsuit to reach closure after all appeals have been exhausted. In an effort to face this almost unbearable situation, the Brazilian court system has been fostering several…

ADR, Arbitration, Clients, Commercial Mediation, Corporate Counsel's View, Dispute Resolution, General, India, Legal Issues

(Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy)/ /2 Comments

This month of May witnessed the launch of the India International ADR Association (IIADRA). And what a blast it was! Judicial luminaries, leading lights of the legal profession, business leaders and politicians all descending upon the gorgeous port city of Kochi on the southwestern Indian coast in the state of Kerala. At first glance Kochi…

ADR, Appointment of Mediators, Arbitration, Confidentiality, Dispute Resolution, Due Process, General, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), Hong Kong, International Mediation, Legal Issues, Legal Practice, Legislation, Med-Arb Clauses, Mediation Practice, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Pre-arbitration Dispute Settlement Procedures, Regulation

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

In a previous posting I looked at Hong Kong’s new Mediation Ordinance, which came into force on 1 January 2013. This legislative activity comes hot on the heels of a major revision of the Hong Kong Arbitration Ordinance which came into effect in 2011. Given the increasing interest in multi-tiered dispute resolution (MDR) processes such…

Accreditation, ADR, Cross-cultural, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, General, Hong Kong, Jurisdiction, Legal Issues, Legislation, mediation as a career, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Mediation Schemes (In Courts, etc.), Standards, Training

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

Well, the New Year is a time for reflections, making new resolutions and fresh starts. In Hong Kong the 1st of January 2013 saw a fresh start for the mediation regulatory regime with the coming into force of the Mediation Ordinance (MO), which I wrote about last month. But it’s not just the MO, which…

Commercial Mediation, Developing the Field, Governments/Public Sector, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), Impasse, Legal Issues, Mediation Schemes (In Courts, etc.), Policy, Public Policy, Sport

(Weiler ADR Inc.)/ /1 Comment

Two stories currently making headlines in Canada provide the occasion to harken back to previous posts on this blog. Mediation Backlog – Ontario No-Fault Auto Insurance Disputes  In March of this year I blogged about the consequences of under-resourcing mandatory mediation programs. The Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) had (and still has) a huge…

Accreditation, ADR, ADR Agreements, Commercial Mediation, Confidentiality, Confidentiality and Transparency, Dispute Resolution, Future of mediation, General, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), Hong Kong, Legal Issues, Legal Practice, Legislation, Mediation Act, Mediation Practice, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), National Mediation Laws, Reform, Regulation, Standards

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

In June 2012 the Hong Kong Legislative Council passed the Mediation Ordinance (MO), the first piece of legislation on mediation in Hong Kong SAR. The MO was a much awaited and highly anticipated law and some mediation advocates have been disappointed in what they see as much ado about nothing. After all the MO appears…

ADR Clauses, Combined Clauses, Commercial Mediation, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution Clause, Enforcement, Enforcement of a Mediation Clause, Enforcement of an ADR Clause, Future of mediation, Legal Issues, Negotiation

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

I would like to focus this blog entry on a recent development of Singapore relating to agreements to agree/negotiate in good faith and some of the practical consequences that can arise from this case. In the English common law, the traditional position has been that an agreement to agree or an agreement to negotiate was…

EU Directive on Mediation, EU Mediation Directive, Legal Issues, Mediation Act, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), National Mediation Laws, Uncategorized

(CMS)/ /Leave a comment

The Czech Republic joined the EU Member States that have put the necessary rules in place to transpose the Directive 2008/52/EC on mediation in civil and commercial matters. The new Mediation Act (Act No. 202/2012 Coll., “the Act”) became effective on 1 September 2012. Whereas the Directive’s implementation was significantly delayed (Article 12(1) required Member…

ADR, Arbitration, Clients, Commercial Mediation, Confidentiality, Confidentiality and Transparency, Conventional wisdom, Court Procedure and Litigation, Developing the Field, Enforcement of a Mediation Clause, Ethics, EU Directive on Mediation, EU Mediation Directive, Future of mediation, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), Legal Issues, Mediation Agreement, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Public Policy, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation

(University of Strathclyde)/ /5 Comments

To paraphrase Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that mediation is confidential. Go on any training course, listen to any mediator’s opening speech, and the secrecy/privacy of the process will be affirmed and reaffirmed. In the commercial mediation arena, and these days most other practice areas, you will also sign a contractual undertaking…