The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a public consultation on Increasing the use of mediation in the civil justice system. It has also given an indication that the government intends for the UK to sign and ratify the Singapore Convention on Mediated Settlements. The consultation issues The consultation document seeks views on two distinct … Read more

As we previously reported, the UK government is currently consulting on whether the UK should sign the UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, more commonly known as the Singapore Convention. The consultation closes on 1 April 2022. The Convention establishes a framework under which Member States agree to recognise and enforce settlements of … Read more

The LCAM-HSF survey on compulsory mediation closes for responses this Friday (11 March). Users of mediation, litigation and/or arbitration are invited to complete the short survey online here. We look forward to sharing the results and insights from the survey in due course. Read more

The recently released 11th edition of the Commercial Court Guide includes a number of revisions to the section regarding the use of ADR – including a change of terminology to “NDR” (for “negotiated dispute resolution”). The revisions will not require any substantial change in day to day practice, and a comparison against the previous edition might … Read more

The last year has seen a notable increase in focus on the role of ADR in the English civil justice system, from both the judiciary and government. Amongst the various moving parts in what is becoming a crowded landscape of developments are: the Master of the Rolls’ vision for out-of-court resolution options to be fully … Read more

Following the success of the 2020 LCAM-HSF Mediation in Arbitration survey, we are delighted to announce that Herbert Smith Freehills is again joining with the London Chamber of Arbitration and Mediation to conduct a new study on attitudes to compulsory mediation in litigation and arbitration. Read more

The UK government yesterday launched a consultation seeking views on whether the UK should sign the Singapore Convention.  The consultation closes on 1 April 2022. The Singapore Convention More formally known as the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (full text here), the Convention came into force in September 2020.  It … Read more

The Civil Justice Council (CJC) has recommended a greater use of compulsory ADR within the civil courts of England and Wales. In particular, it has concluded that court-mandated ADR is not incompatible with Article 6 of the European Human Rights Convention (right to a fair trial) and is therefore lawful. That conclusion is contained in … Read more