Mediation Practice

cross-border mediation, Developing the Field, International commercial mediation, International Law, International Mediation, Investor-state mediation, Mediation Act, Mediation Practice, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Settlement Agreements, Singapore, Singapore Convention on Mediation, UNCITRAL

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

Update: As this post was published, the Singapore Convention Bill was passed into law. In previous blog entries, we have outlined the provisions of the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (also known as the Singapore Convention on Mediation), reported on its signing ceremony and observed that more than 50 States…

Experience, Flexibility, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Neutrality, Philosophy, Skills, The role of the mediator, Tips, Understanding mediation

(Kwok, Ng & Chan, Solicitors & Notaries)/ /Leave a comment

I was first introduced to Kluwer Mediation Blog by Professor Joel Lee of the National University of Singapore when he shared “A Mediator’s Prayer” in his July 2014 blog entry. Joel is no stranger here. He is not only a prominent mediator but also a Chinese martial arts master. Joel practises and teaches Wing Chun –…

Mediation and Society, Mediation Practice, Philosophy, Scotland, The role of the mediator, Uncategorized

(Core Solutions Group)/ /1 Comment

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the festive season is receiving and reading books that one might not have come across otherwise. This year, I have been enjoying two quite contrasting works of literature. The first is a Manual for Spectrum Agents (Haynes Publishing) providing “detailed information about the Spectrum organisation”, based on the…

Below the line, Business, Causes of Conflict, Commercial Mediation, Conflict, Developing the Field, Economics, Mediation Practice, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Reflective Practice, Scotland, Uncategorized

(University of Strathclyde)/ /Leave a comment
money

Twice today I’ve found myself responding to mediator reflections in these terms: the money’s not about the money. Both cases involved financial negotiation, even haggling, but that’s deceptive. The key to settlement lay not in the realm of calculation and rationality but in the more opaque social world of face, punishment, justice and emotion. In…

Dispute Resolution, Japan, lawyers in mediation, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediators’ Conduct, Negotiation, Neuroscience, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Reflective Practice, Scotland, Stories, The role of the mediator, Time Pressure, Uncategorized

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“You’ve done what?” It took just a moment. The red mist descended. The words were out before I could haul them back in. “You’ve just gone behind my back and undermined what I set out, and we had agreed, we would do….you might at least have had the courtesy…..” The lawyer had just told me…

ADR, Commercial Mediation, Communication, Creativity, Dispute Resolution, Experience, Interests, lawyers in mediation, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediation Users/Clients, Mediators’ Conduct, Negotiation, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Stages of mediation, Success in mediation, The role of the mediator

(Strategic Resolution)/ /1 Comment

Photo credit: Creative Commons Jean M.Mas 2/2007 Although my mediation training made no mention of it, 32 years of mediating have taught me that mediations generally unfold over two stages: Stage 1: “Who Did What to Whom”? Here parties (or their lawyers) follow the ritual of naming, blaming and claiming – recounting facts, providing evidence…

ADR, Commercial Mediation, cross-border mediation, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, Future of mediation, International Mediation, Investor-state mediation, Mediation Practice

(Kwok, Ng & Chan, Solicitors & Notaries)/ /Leave a comment

I have recently been approached to enrol myself in an investor-state mediation training programme and also to speak at one of the sessions. That triggers off my deeper thoughts on the topic of investor-state mediation and related issues. This blog is an attempt to share my thoughts so that fellow mediation practitioners may consider whether…

Dispute Resolution, Mediation Practice, Mediators’ Conduct, Neutrality, Reflective Practice, Skills

(Greg Rooney Mediator)/ /1 Comment

Charlie Irvine in his recent Kluwer blog (Mediation Values: Still Searching) suggested it is our values that determine what we do or say in a mediation rather than any techniques we learn as mediators. Charlie gives a mediation example where the husband wanted to claim his full pension as part of the division of assets….

mediation as a career, Mediation Practice, Philosophy, Scotland, Uncategorized

(Core Solutions Group)/ /1 Comment

“What’s the point?” asked the preacher, rhetorically. “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” was his text, taken from Ecclesiastes, an Old Testament book apparently attributed to Solomon, whose wisdom we have all heard about over the years. The child and two women each laying claim to being the mother – and all that. What profit…

Cross-cultural, Dialogue, International Mediation, Mediation and Society, Mediation Practice, Personal Development, Philosophy, Reflective Practice, Stories, Transformation

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

A couple of weeks ago I came across a poem by the Native American writer Joy Harjo, entitled “Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings.” The title made me curious, as might be expected for a mediator. You can find the whole poem online on the Poetry Foundation website, or you can buy the book of poems…