In this short podcast Professional Support Consultants Hannah Ambrose and Vanessa Naish look at how Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) can work together. The podcast considers how parties can agree to an ADR process in addition to or alongside… Read more

On 6 March, the Civil Justice Council held a workshop to discuss the recommendations made in its interim report on ADR, which was subject to consultation late last year. The interim report addresses concerns regarding a perceived underuse of ADR within some… Read more

The UNCITRAL working group that has for several years now been considering the potential for an international enforcement regime for international mediation has now completed its work and produced draft instruments. At its most recent meeting in New York, the… Read more

It has recently been announced that a new "Japan International Mediation Centre" (JIMC) is to open in Kyoto in early 2018. While details on the new centre are still limited, it is known that it is being established in collaboration… Read more

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has gained huge momentum of late, with governments, companies and lawyers keen to maximise the many opportunities it presents. The resolution of disputes arising from the BRI is no exception. The sheer complexity and… Read more

The EU Parliament has adopted a Resolution on the implementation of the EU Mediation Directive (2008/52/EC), containing recommendations aimed at increasing the use of mediation in civil and commercial disputes throughout the EU. The Resolution follows a 2016 report by the EU Commission… Read more

On 13 July, Hong Kong’s Legislative Council passed a law (the Apology Law) intended to facilitate the resolution of civil disputes in the territory. The Apology Law, which is expected to be gazetted and come into force shortly, reforms the… Read more

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has concluded that national legislation imposing mandatory mediation as a pre-condition to litigation is not precluded by the EU ADR legislative framework, provided that the parties are not prevented from exercising their rights of access to… Read more

Hong Kong's status as a leading international dispute resolution hub is well-known. It enjoys a strong, independent judiciary as well as world class international arbitration services. Mediation and other forms of ADR are heavily supported by a myriad of institutions.… Read more

Julian Copeman, May Tai and Anita Phillips discuss their client research and the outputs of the recent Global Pound Conference to assess what is required to bring mediation into the mainstream for commercial parties in Hong Kong. Click here to access… Read more

Draft Regulations have been published by the South African government setting out rules for the mediation of investor-state disputes (to the exclusion of international arbitration).   Click here to read our Johannesburg office's bulletin, which highlights concerns with the proposed developments and calls… Read more

A costs judge has held that information about a party's costs provided for the purposes of a mediation could be used as evidence when considering the cost consequences of a subsequent settlement: Savings Advice Limited v EDF Energy Customers Ltd… Read more

Further to our earlier posts (here and here) highlighting material from our recently updated Guide to Dispute Resolution in Asia Pacific, we now feature in part 3 the responses from New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam to the question whether parties to litigation or arbitration… Read more

A Mediation Bill has recently been put before the Singapore Parliament with a view to encouraging the growth of mediation in the jurisdiction.  The three key proposals in the Bill (which echo similar provisions in the EU Mediation Directive and various other mediation laws… Read more

The Court of Appeal has recently applied the rarely invoked "unambiguous impropriety" exception to without prejudice ("WP") privilege, to find that a written settlement offer conveyed through a mediator following an unsuccessful mediation was not protected by WP: Ferster v… Read more

A new (second) edition of the Jackson ADR Handbook was published on 8 September 2016. The original edition of the Handbook (see our bulletin here) was published in 2013 as one of the suite of measures recommended by Lord Justice Jackson in… Read more

The recently published final report of Lord Justice Briggs in his Civil Courts Structure Review includes some interesting conclusions as to the role currently played by ADR in the civil justice system in England and Wales and a number of recommendations aimed at expanding that role.… Read more

Please click here to preview this publication.  To request a copy of the guide, please email asia.publications@hsf.com. Our updated Guide to Dispute Resolution in Asia Pacific aims to provide answers to some of the basic questions a party unfamiliar with… Read more

The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) has released the results of its Mediation Audit 2016, based on a survey of practising mediators in the UK.   (The results of a parallel survey of lawyer attitudes to mediation are to be published separately). The audit is… Read more

The Singapore Ministry of Law is seeking public feedback on a draft Mediation Bill. The Bill will give effect to one of the key recommendations of the International Commercial Mediation Working Group (ICMWG) in 2013, being the enactment of a… Read more

The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) is inviting interested parties in the UK to take part in its Mediation Audit 2016.   The audit, run in conjunction with the Civil Mediation Council, is the seventh audit that CEDR has conducted in the last 14 years. … Read more

The Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) has published the results of its study on preferences for the choice of governing law and jurisdiction by those involved in cross-border transactions in Singapore and the region (the Study).  The Study reflects the views of… Read more

We are pleased to launch online our ADR in Asia Pacific Guide, building on a publication we launched last year.  Please click here to download a copy. While focusing on the use of ADR in Asia Pacific, the guide will assist organisations wherever… Read more

The International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) has released its new European Mediation & ADR Guide, designed to assist corporates operating in Europe and beyond in taking full advantage of the range of ADR processes available to them. Herbert… Read more

Herbert Smith Freehills is pleased to announce the launch of The Global Pound Conference (GPC) Series 2016-17. The aim of this ambitious worldwide conference series is to build a global conversation about the current landscape of civil and commercial dispute resolution and how… Read more

The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) has updated all of its main model mediation documents and rules.  The updated documents are available on the CEDR website here (requiring free registration). They include: ADR contract clauses Mediation Procedure Mediation Agreement Settlement Agreement Tomlin… Read more

A recent Hong Kong judgment has added to the growing body of case law illustrating courts' intolerance of litigants who refuse to engage with ADR.   The decision will be of interest to litigants not just in Hong Kong but in other… Read more

We are pleased to publish the eighth guide in our series of ADR Practical Guides, designed to provide clients with practical guidance on various processes falling under the banner of alternative dispute resolution, with a particular focus on mediation. Guide No. 8: 'Resolving disputes… Read more

Mediation can be a useful tool in shareholder class actions as in other types of litigation. There are a number of obvious advantages to defendant corporations in particular: minimising legal costs, reducing further publicity and impact on share price, and avoiding the considerable distraction to… Read more

The third article from our recently published ADR in Asia Guide is now available  – Client Perspectives on Mediation in Hong Kong. We have sought the views of numerous clients from a broad range of sectors including banking, insurance, manufacturing,… Read more