With the limited access to courts and lawyers mediation is even more so now than ever the best choice to find a resolution for your dispute. Get your dispute resolved now while you can’t go anywhere you can really concentrate on what’s important and what deserves your time and energy.
Northwest Mediation continues to use Zoom, Skype and FaceTime as well as the phone and emails to resolve disputes so please do not feel that you cannot contact us as there are limits on physical meetings. Having just had to do some meetings on MS Teams I remember why I don’t list it as an option each week, it’s simply not set up to be as intuitive or user friendly as Zoom nor do I need multiple accounts to get my name to show correctly depending on which “hat” I’m wearing.
I’ve talked a lot in the past about the Singapore Convention on mediation, it’s a protocol designed for dealing with international mediation disputes, settlements and enforcement of agreements. I've done a couple of cross border commercial disputes so I like to keep an eye on developing rules for how the agreements reached in similar matters can be enforced.
Now the Ministry of Justice is consulting again on whether to adopt it (presumably had it been agreed in Brussels the current HMGov would treat it with distain whatever it’s utility).
Given current signatories include USA, China and India all targets for potential new trading agreements by little Britain’s Liz Truss it would seem likely to be adopted as one of the next steps to keeping some semblance of Britain’s place in the international community.
The MOJ have said “The UK is already regarded as an international seat for arbitration and the government is keen to understand whether that reputation, as well our reputation as a preferred seat for other forms of international dispute resolution, would be further strengthened by making it the same for mediation.” Adding that the previous consultation was broadly favourable even if responses were a little informal (by which I suspect they mean that mediators said yes, but did not provide a host of empirical evidence to support the decision) much the same as the MOJ’s consultation on national civil litigation mediation.
Speaking of consultations within this article is the link for the consultation on compulsory civil mediation from Herbert Smith Freehills who are working with the London Chamber of Arbitration and Mediation to look again at the interest in making the requirement for mediation a prerequisite to litigation.
Closing date is 11th March so get your skates on it’s a very short questionnaire and I’d encourage all mediators and interested parties to fill it in.
French President Emmanuel Macron has been busy this week visiting Russia to meet with President Putin but also (via his team) ensuring the release of eight Armenians held by Azerbaijan.
A joint French-EU team used their not inconsiderable mediation skills to arrange the release.
Charles Michel, the European Council President, said on Twitter “The release by Azerbaijan and reparation [sic] to Armenia of 8 Armenian detainees is another sign of positive developments following the meeting with @EmmanuelMacron, @azpresident and @NikolPashinyan"
Given the prisoners have been under Azeri control since October it is no doubt a relief to their family and friends to have them safe back home.
The benefits of mediation have international recognition and the more work I do in the profession the more areas I see opening up to the prospect of their being an alternative to litigation, even to the point where some people are pushing for the A to be removed from ADR and dispute resolution being known simply as DR, if so then I reserve the right to refer to 2000AD’s classic DR and Quinch comic strip in as many seminars as possible, neither of the titular characters would be your first choice for mediator!
The three pillars of mediation remain it’s voluntary, it’s confidential, the mediator is independent, by using those pillars to support your work the parties keep control, save costs, save time and energy and reduce stress.
In person or via electronic media as we’ve said before choose to mediate early and resolve your issues effectively, timeously, and with less stress and costs than going to your solicitor so you can get out choose a different path, not quite the road less travelled but perhaps the path less adversarial. You have an interest in the outcome the sooner you get round the mediation table the quicker you can move forward and avoid the grilling a cross examination in court would put you through.
By having a deep and meaningful discussions with parties the mediator elicits what the true “red-lines” are and where there is the potential for compromise, it is with this structured period of reflection that the parties are then able to reach an accord.
The flexible nature of mediation and the possible outcomes make it an ideal way to resolve disputes in an ever-changing world and the open nature of discussions in mediation whilst remaining confidential allows all sides to engage fully in the process and understand the needs of all involved allowing parties to reach a conclusion which both sides can live with and move on.
There are so many situations which could have been resolved by early intervention of mediation it continues to surprise me the lengths the public will go to avoid referral.
Whether you need a mediator to help out with a construction matter in the Northwest, or council’s plans in Cheshire, a civil mediator in London, a commercial mediator in Manchester, a dispute resolution for your family in Liverpool, a neighbourhood mediation in Stockport, then our mediators at Northwest Mediation can help.
Mediation is cheaper, quicker and less stressful than running any case to court, it can help with any dispute whether it's an employment issue or the sale at an under value of a property, a fight with a neighbour, family issues, commercial disputes, civil mediation or inheritance, wills and probate arguments contact Northwest Mediation on 07931318347 or via email at ed.johnson@northwestmediation.co.uk
neighbour mediation; commercial dispute resolution; civil mediation; commercial dispute; corporate dispute; commercial mediator; family mediation; inheritance wills probate mediation; property mediator; civil mediator; civil litigation; fast track mediation; injury mediation
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