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

The UK government recently published a report announcing a wide range of far-reaching changes to the UK competition and consumer protection regulatory regimes, following a consultation last year. The key reforms are examined on our Competition Notes blog, here.  Below, we highlight a less prominent aspect of the report, regarding the role of ADR services … Read more

As has been well publicised, the new Singapore Convention seeks to establish a global enforcement regime for settlement agreements resulting from mediation in cross-border commercial disputes. Signed on 7 August 2019 by 46 countries, the Convention could feasibly be in operation as early as the first half of next year (it will enter into force … Read more

Jan O’Neill Professional Support Lawyer, London   The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) has released the results of its Mediation Audit 2018, based on a survey of practising mediators in the UK. (The results of parallel surveys of lawyer attitudes to mediation, and of US practitioners’ views, are to be published separately). The audit is the eighth biennial survey CEDR has conducted in the last … Read more

The International Mediation Institute (IMI) has published "Competency Criteria for Investor-State Mediators", designed to assist with the selection of suitable mediators for disputes involving private sector entities and States. The Criteria have been prepared in response to that fact that, while a pool of Investor-State arbitrators has developed over the recent years, and while, in parallel, mediation of international … 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.  (We reported on the results of the last audit here.)   The biennial audits are a … 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 Order Code of Conduct for Mediators Expert Determination Agreement In addition, a new model document has … Read more

The Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL) has launched an ADR service dedicated to the resolution of costs disputes.  The service, which will initially be limited to mediation, will be provided by a panel of eight mediators, including former Senior Costs Judge Peter Hurst and three costs lawyers.   ACL plans to extend the service to include early neutral evaluation, … Read more