Neutrality

Below the line, Clients, Conflict, Cross-cultural, Dialogue, Experience, Fear, General, Language, Lawyers and Psychologists, Mediation Lawyering, Mediation Practice, Mediators’ Conduct, Mindset, Mistakes, Neutrality, omnipartiality in mediation, Perception, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Reflective Practice, Transformation, user perspectives

(Bill Marsh Mediator)/ /1 Comment

I am not really one for elevator pitches. But I did hear one the other day about creating impact in a very short space of time, and I was struck by its relevance to mediation. Essentially, the message was that the people we meet make up their minds about us based on two key criteria,…

Developing the Field, Experience, Instinct, Intuition, mediation models, Mediation Practice, mediation process, mediation traditions, Neutrality, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Scotland, Stages of mediation, The role of the mediator, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation

(University of Strathclyde)/ /2 Comments

I wrote this piece for Strathclyde Mediation Clinic after a series of conversations with new and learner mediators. Some surprised me with their passivity in the face of parties’ lack of knowledge or understanding. After some probing I learned that many new mediators recognise the problem but believe the model they were taught prohibits them…

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 –…

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….

Developing the Field, Europe, Future of mediation, Germany, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), Mediation and Society, Mediation Outcomes, Neutrality, Philosophy, Policy, Public Policy, Reflective Practice, Scotland, The role of the mediator, Ukraine, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation

(Core Solutions Group)/ /2 Comments

At a recent excellent conference hosted by Professor Ulla Glaesser at Viadrina University in Frankfurt (Oder), one of the workshop sessions focussed on the extent to which mediators can or should disclose or express their views when engaged in politically-related mediation work – or more generally. What a fascinating conversation we had. It was no…

ADR, Appointment of Mediators, Bias, Decision making, Disclosure, Due Process, Ethics, Mediation Practice, Mentoring, Neutrality, Stories, Trust

(FORARB/Charles University)/ /4 Comments

In one of my recent cases, the question of impartiality appeared in quite an irregular way. It happened when I entered the mediation room where both parties were seated together with their lawyers. They were drinking coffee and making small talk. To my surprise, one of the lawyers looked quite familiar. Just for a moment,…

Community Mediation, Conventional wisdom, Court Procedure and Litigation, Developing the Field, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), mediation models, Mediation Practice, mediation traditions, Mediation Users/Clients, Neutrality, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Scotland, The role of the mediator, Uncategorized, user perspectives

(University of Strathclyde)/ /1 Comment

(This post is being republished because of technical problems when it was first published.) One of the key debates among mediators centres on the word ‘evaluation’. I’ve written about this before – see Has the evaluative label outlived its usefulness? I’m sure many readers are familiar, even bored, with the claimed polarity between facilitative and…

Communication, Conflict, Dialogue, General, Mediation Practice, Neutrality, Practical Challenges for Mediators, The role of the mediator

/ /Leave a comment

Many of my fellow bloggers on these pages, and perhaps many of the readers, will have found themselves in the position in which friends, colleagues, workmates or others call on your/our mediation experience at short notice, and in circumstances that are perhaps not ideal in terms of planning and preparation. One of the strategies I…

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…