The role of the mediator

Commercial Mediation, Community Mediation, Developing the Field, Domestic Courts, Europe, Future of mediation, Mediation Act, Mediation and Society, Mediation Practice, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Mediation Schemes (In Courts, etc.), Mediation Users/Clients, Neuroscience, Opt-Out, Promoting Mediation, Public Policy, Reform, Regulation, Scotland, The role of the mediator, Uncategorized

(Core Solutions Group)/ /2 Comments

Being a mediator brings surprises along the way. For me, I was presented with what turned out to be the biggest challenge of my professional career last November when the Cabinet Secretary for Health in Scotland appointed me to conduct a review of allegations made by staff (through whistle-blowers) of bullying and harassment in Scotland’s…

Dispute Resolution, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Skills, The role of the mediator

(Kwok, Ng & Chan, Solicitors & Notaries)/ /1 Comment

The Japan International Mediation Center in Kyoto (JIMC-Kyoto), which is the first Japanese international mediation centre, was officially launched on 20 November 2018. The centre has a panel of non-resident international mediators. Kyoto, the former Imperial capital of Japan, is a city rich in culture. As one of the non-resident mediators, I am interested to…

Dispute Resolution, Judges as mediators, Mediation Practice, Standards, The role of the mediator, Training

(Strategic Resolution)/ /5 Comments

In the words of the late Sir Laurence Street, former Chief Justice of New South Wales (1974-1988) and subsequently Australia’s leading mediator: “A court that makes available a judge or a registrar to conduct a true mediation is forsaking a fundamental precept upon which public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the court system…

Communication, Decision making, Due Process, Efficiency, Ethics, Framing, Language, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediators’ Conduct, Reflective Practice, Success in mediation, The role of the mediator

(Bond & Bond Mediation / University of Wildau )/ /1 Comment

The word “manipulation” has a bad name. It is usually used to denote devious and underhand behaviour. If we say that someone is being manipulative or that someone is a manipulative person then we are usually disapproving. Mediators are manipulators, and master mediators are master manipulators. I respond here to Rick Weiler’s recent post, in…

'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…

Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, Leadership, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediators’ Conduct, Reflective Practice, Scotland, Skills, The role of the mediator

(Core Solutions Group)/ /3 Comments

A number of recent mediations have reaffirmed some essentials which I share here in the hope that they might be helpful to others: It’s not all about the money. Mr A had a very substantial claim against a bank running into hundreds of thousands of pounds Sterling, most of his life savings. When I asked…

Appointment of Mediators, Creativity, Developing the Field, Ethics, Evaluative Mediation, Fear, insider and outsider mediators, Intuition, mediation models, Mediation Outcomes, Mediators’ Conduct, omnipartiality in mediation, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), Online Mediation, Perception, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Research, Skills, Success in mediation, Tactics, The role of the mediator, Tips, user perspectives

(Weiler ADR Inc.)/ /4 Comments

“Hi, I’m Rick. I’m your mediator for today. I can’t decide what happens in this dumb dispute or how you resolve issues. My job is just to help people who are incapable of resolving conflict, like yourselves, find areas that you can agree on. That means I get to control what appears in the messages,…

Clients, Developing the Field, Experience, Feedback, Language, mediation as a career, Mediation Schemes (In Courts, etc.), Mediation Users/Clients, Personal Development, Research, Skills, Success in mediation, The role of the mediator, Training, Uncategorized, user perspectives

(University of Strathclyde)/ /4 Comments
good mediation seen through a client's lens

“Like poets, but with less time” The Deep End Getting to grips with mediation can leave students and trainees overwhelmed. That favourite training tool, the roleplay, throws most in at the deep end. The sudden immersion forces them to speak, listen and observe while trying to remember models and skills plus a sea of reading…

Appointment of Mediators, Experience, Legal Issues, Litigation, mediated settlement agreement, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediation Users/Clients, Mediator liability, Mediators’ Conduct, Set Aside a Mediated Agreement, Settlement Agreements, The role of the mediator, Tips, Uncategorized, War Stories

(Strategic Resolution)/ /Leave a comment

Although infrequent, court cases against mediators are illuminating, helping us avoid being dragged into court ourselves. Here’s an example In Tapoohi v Lewenberg & Ors (No 2) [2003] VSC 410, the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia, considered it arguable that a mediator owes a duty of care to the disputants. The mediated dispute This was…

Clients, Developing the Field, Experience, International commercial mediation, mediation as a career, Reflective practise, The role of the mediator, Understanding mediation, Young Mediators

(Brick Court Chambers / Clifton Chambers)/ /2 Comments

As the global mediation community anxiously awaits the annual ICC mediation competition to be held in Paris next week, many students from universities around the world will be putting the finishing touches to newly acquired mediation skills and all-important competition strategies. For my part, coming to Paris as a member of the competition faculty is…