Additional Services

Mediation advocacy is very different from litigation advocacy and not all lawyers have been trained in mediation and negotiation techniques. I deliver practical, bespoke, in-house CPD courses for solicitors and barristers to prepare them for representing clients effectively at mediation. Usually I can provide these free of charge, where there are enough delegates to justify my time. I am always happy to discuss developing a bespoke training programme specific to the needs of those attending.

ENE is a process in which a neutral professional (the Evaluator), usually a lawyer, considers each party’s case at a relatively early stage in the dispute procedure and gives a non-binding assessment of its merits. This can then be used as a basis for settlement or for further negotiation. Thereafter, the Evaluator takes no part in the case.

Disputes about construction works are all too common. It might be a dispute between the owner/developer and the main contractor, between the main contractor and a sub-contractor, or it might involve the professionals such as the architect and structural engineer. It might be about defective workmanship or design, a disagreement about the value of work done, or about payment for variations to the works and/or extensions of time.

Political, economic, and social differences inevitably create conflict, as do differences in ethnicity, gender, religion, personality, and style. Conflict exists on a local level within specific communities or interest groups, or it is national or international in its reach. We see conflict in schools and health trust governance, infrastructure development, housing policy and planning; we see it in labour relations, devolution of power to the regions, religious difference. And then there is the arena of international relations which foments some of the most dangerous conflicts we face on Earth.

Arbitration is regulated by the Arbitration Act 1996. However the procedure has much more flexibility than court proceedings and the parties themselves can agree much of the framework of rules governing the Arbitration. This means that the procedure can be tailored to the size of the claim and its subject matter, so that the process can be much faster and cheaper than court proceedings.