I am at my desk, an hour after the conclusion of a really fascinating event here in Edinburgh, in which my colleague, Charlie Woods, and I acted as mediators in a simulation of a mediated process involving 10 delegations representing different interests in the current Brexit negotiations. With over 50 participants, allocated randomly to one…
Mediation as a means to resolve disputes without the assistance of the court has become more and more popular in the post-Soviet bloc countries, for example Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania. The Law on Mediation in Lithuania was adopted by Parliament in 2008. Although enthusiasts of mediation welcomed the new law, mediation has not accelerated as…
I have just read Ian Macduff’s recent Kluwer blog (26 November: “Upheaval and resilience: a note from the Shaky Isles”). What a privilege it is, in this blog, to follow Ian’s erudite writing. He captures so well the spirit of the age, with all its uncertainty, tragedy, hope and opportunity. On that theme, my wife…
This post has been adapted from the post “More Uncertainty for the Unitary Patent System after Court Ruling in UK” by Kluwer UPC News Blogger which appears on the Kluwer Patent Blog. The decision today of the UK High Court, that the government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and begin formal exit…
This blog synthesises some remarks I have made recently to policy-makers in Scotland. As I reflect on things, there are a lot of issues in the civil justice system in my country which remain of interest and concern. Not least, the number of ordinary folk caught up in the court system, paying a lot of…
Many thanks to everyone who took part in the Kluwer Mediation Blog’s inaugural summer quiz. We are delighted to announce that the winner is Dr Despina Chatzimanoli, an accredited mediator and Legal Expert at the European Banking Authority in London. Congratulations Despina. The coveted prize is a copy of the very recently published Essays on Mediation,…
This post will be the first of a series focusing on individual aspects of regulatory robustness, as introduced in previous blogs by Nadja Alexander and applied in the context of Ireland by the two of us in our last post. With so many areas to focus on, it was difficult to choose one to begin…
We first worked together in the competition law department of an international law firm. 14 years have since passed – at a spirited pace – and we now find ourselves, for an assortment of reasons and opportunities, working in mediation. On a rainy summer’s day in London, I met with Suzanne Rab, a barrister at…
If Brexit were an ancient Greek tragedy, David Cameron would be the tragic hero. I woke up early on 24 June to see a barometer on the BBC website slightly tipped towards Leave, and then to watch the rest of the votes come in until the text below the barometer stated that there could be…
Czech Innovation: “Mediation Assistants” Fascinating visit to the Czech Republic recently. I was asked to provide the training for a group of ‘mediation assistants’. Never having heard the term before I was intrigued. I flew to Prague (stag-night capital of Europe) and after a reasonably terrifying drive through a rainstorm arrived in in Hradec Králové,…
