Court Procedure and Litigation, Developing the Field, Domestic Courts, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), Mandatory mediation, Mediation Act, Mediation Institutions and Rules, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Mediation Schemes (In Courts, etc.), National Mediation Laws, Opt-Out, Scotland, Uncategorized

(University of Strathclyde)/ /Leave a comment

To paraphrase a worldwide cliché, you wait decades for a Mediation Act and two come along at once. On this typically dreich Scottish summer afternoon I find myself in the surprising position of examining two distinct proposals for mediation legislation. Why surprising? This blog has carried news of a succession of mediation acts in countries…

Brazil, Dispute Resolution, Environmental disputes, Environmental Mediation, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), Online Mediation

(Mediar360 - Dispute Resolution )/ /Leave a comment

I owe my recent participation in a very challenging project to my dear friend and mediation partner, Constança Madureira. For some time, she has been able to build a career as a lawyer and associate it with an extensive and respected professional background in the hotel and lodging industry. Having worked in top executive positions…

Confidentiality, Public Policy

(Weiler ADR Inc.)/ /4 Comments

  A developing story here in Canada has raised concerns about whether the public should have the right to know the terms of a high profile, mediated settlement agreement involving the government of Canada. The case involves now retired Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, the former number two in the Canadian military. The detailed background of the…

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…

Communication, Conventional wisdom, Cross-cultural, Developing the Field, mediation process, Online Mediation, Personal Development

/ /5 Comments

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language; And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” T S Eliot, The Four Quartets, “Little Gidding” “Perhaps the most terrible (or wonderful) thing that can happen to an imaginative youth, aside from the curse (or blessing) of…

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…

ADR, Commercial Mediation, cross-border mediation, Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, Future of mediation, International Law, International Mediation, Promoting Mediation, Singapore Convention on Mediation, UNCITRAL

(Office of the Ombudsman for United Nations Funds and Programmes )/ /Leave a comment

The success of international arbitration, among others, is owed to the New York Convention, which provided tools for global enforcement of arbitral awards. To that end, international mediation has been underused often because of the lack of necessary international enforcement mechanisms of mediated settlement agreements. The Singapore Convention on Enforcement of Mediated Settlement Agreements (Singapore…

Bias, Cognitive Bias, Creativity, Decision making, Framing, Japan, Personal Development, Reflective practise, Uncategorized

(Core Solutions Group)/ /Leave a comment

A recent visit to Japan coincided with the inauguration of the new Emperor Naruhito and the start of what has been designated as the ‘Reiwa’ era. This is officially translated as beautiful harmony, although other interpretations have also mentioned order and control! At the ceremony to mark his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne the new…