In its first edition, Global Trends in Mediation was the first book to concentrate on mediation from a comparative perspective - reaching beyond the all-too-familiar Anglo-American view - and as such has enjoyed wide practical use among alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practitioners worldwide. This new edition has not only been updated throughout; it has also added two new jurisdictions (France and Quebec) and a very useful comparative table summarising the salient points from each of the fourteen jurisdictional chapters. Each jurisdictional chapter addresses critical structural and process issues in alternative dispute resolution such as the institutionalisation of mediation, mediation case law and legislation, the range and nature of disputes where mediation is utilised, court-related mediation, mediation practice standards, education, training and accreditation of mediators, the role of lawyers in mediation, online dispute resolution and future trends. All the contributors are senior dispute resolution academics or practitioners with vast knowledge and experience of dispute resolution developments in their countries and abroad.

"In a world where the borders of the global community are fluid, and where disputants manifest increasingly diverse attributes and needs, mediation ? for decades hovering at the edge of dispute resolution practice ? is now emerging as the preferred approach, both in its own right and as an adjunct to arbitration. Mediation processes are sufficiently flexible to accommodate a range of stakeholders (not all of whom might have legal standing) in ways the formality of arbitration and litigation would not normally allow. Among mediation?s many advantages are time and cost efficiencies, sensitivity to cultural differences, and assured privacy and confidentiality. This book meets the practice needs of lawyers confronted with cross-border disputes now arising far beyond the traditional areas of international commerce, such as consumer disputes, inter-family conflicts, and disagreements over Internet-based transactions. The author takes full account of mediation?s risks and limitations, primarily its lack of finality and uncertainty in relation to enforceability issues which will persist until the advent of appropriate international regulation."--Publisher's website.

EU Cross-Border Commercial Mediation' is a book which focuses on the European Union?s (EU?s) continued efforts to encourage the use of cross-border mediation and examines why such efforts have had a limited impact. It does so by drawing on rare, and at times surprising, detailed insights from the in-house counsel of multinational companies regarding their use of EU cross-border commercial mediation. By viewing mediation through the disputants? perspective, new and important findings regarding why disputants do, and do not, use cross-border mediation have emerged. While these findings are of primary relevance to EU policy and practice, they have implications far beyond the EU context at a time of increasing international interest in cross-border mediation.

Mediation is rapidly becoming a norm in cross-border dispute resolution among European Union (EU) Member States. Accordingly, an important question for legal advisers to ask themselves is: Which jurisdiction offers the best legal framework to support a potential future mediation of my client’s dispute? This book responds to this question by examining the law on mediation in each Member State on a chapter-by-chapter basis. Each country analysis applies the book’s overarching principle of a specially designed Regulatory Robustness Rating System, which is thoroughly explained in an introductory chapter. This framework offers a highly effective way to analyse the quality and robustness of each of the EU’s twenty-nine national jurisdictions’ legal frameworks relevant to mediation (including legislation, case law, practice directions, codes of conduct, standards, and other regulatory instruments) and factor such an analysis into choices about governing law in mediation clauses and other agreements. Among the issues and topics covered are the following: • congruence of domestic and international legal frameworks; • transparency and clarity of content of mediation laws; • standards and qualifications for mediators; • rights and obligations of participants in mediation; • access to mediation services; • access to internationally recognised and skilled mediators; • enforceability of clauses and mediated settlement agreements; • confidentiality and flexibility; • admissibility of evidence from mediation in subsequent proceedings; • impact of commencement of mediation on litigation limitation periods; • relationship and attitude of courts to mediation; and • regulatory incentives for legal advisers to engage in mediation. This detailed analysis clearly allows users and other regulatory stakeholders to look closely and critically at regulatory regimes for mediation in order to make informed choices and develop appropriate strategies in relation to the law that governs their mediation. This is the first book to consider authoritatively what makes good mediation law and what makes a jurisdiction attractive for cross-border mediation purposes in terms of its regulatory framework. As a resource that identifies potential strengths and weaknesses of each EU Member State’s regulatory regime, it has no peers and will be welcomed and put to use by the alternative dispute resolution community in Europe and beyond.

In the contemporary discipline of conflict resolution, adjudication and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) are often seen as antagonistic trends. This important book contends that, on the contrary, it is the bringing together of these trends that holds the most promise for an effective system of international justice. With great insight and passion, built firmly on a vast knowledge of the field, Lars Kirchhoff exposes the contemporary structural barriers to effective conflict resolution, defining where adjudication ends and ADR--and particularly the recent development of mediated third party intervention from an 'art' to a veritable 'science'--must come into play. The work starts by defining the challenges, potentials and shortcomings of different approaches to conflict resolution in an interdependent world--where the multiplicity of actors, topics and interests involved even in seemingly bilateral conflict situations is clearly manifest--and goes on to define useful models and connect the various elements relevant for the resolution of conflicts in a transparent way. In the course of its investigation the book accomplishes the following: * illustrates the various departure points and perspectives scholars of conflict resolution have taken as the basis for their work; discusses who should become involved in conflicts as a third party and by which techniques this should occur; systematically conveys the nature and consequences of intervention through mediation, focusing on the method's critical challenges; and clarifies the particular model of international mediation under development through UN initiatives. In approaching these intertwined topics, the author draws concrete conclusions for the realms of international law and related disciplines as well as for the organizational context of the United Nations. He explores such diverse scenarios as conflicts between States, conflicts involving international organizations, and--in accordance with the changing parameters of international law--even conflicts involving individuals, clarifying which constellations can be tackled by international mediation and which conflicts should be dealt with by other forms of diplomacy or adjudication. It is the conviction of many intermediaries and scholars that the considerable potential inherent in resolving conflicts peacefully is rarely put into practice. Although some of the reasons for this phenomenon are beyond the influence of scholarly debate, in many instances the reasons for failure of peaceful resolution processes are more structural or systemic in nature. It is the great virtue of this book that it establishes enough clarity in an unclear and complex field to make concrete and workable recommendations in these instances, and for that reason it will be of immeasurable value and benefit to all scholars, policymakers, and activists dedicated to the pursuit of peace.

Until now, the resoluton of international commercial and investment disputes has been dominated almost exclusively by international arbitration. But international mediation and conciliation are now coming to the fore. This book brings together a line-up of highly-qualified experts to address this topical, complex subject from a variety of angles.

Provides a comprehensive global survey on multi-tier dispute resolution, examining its trends, its strengths and weaknesses, and the way forward.

Analyzes topics and issues in translator and interpreter training, focussing on areas that are new and underexplored, yet crucial for translator/interpreter practice.

Mediation is one of the most important methods of settling conflicts in the post-Cold War world. This text represents the most recent trends in the process and practice of international mediation.

Mediation is used to resolve disputes in business, employment, education, domestic relationships, religious organizations, government, international relations, and, of course, litigation. Mediation: Skills and Techniques offers a comprehensive course of study of the mediation process, from convening the mediation to formalizing the settlement agreement. The book provides practical examples and case studies to illustrate the skills and techniques necessary to become a proficient mediator. Importantly, the book adopts an interdisciplinary approach to mediation that incorporates scientific principles from law, psychology, conflict management, and sociology. It also surveys careers in mediation and explains how to market a mediation business. Whether you are a student, mediator, lawyer, psychologist, businessperson, clergy member, or social worker, this book answers the call for a broad and systematic education in mediation with an emphasis on practical, science-based mediation skills and techniques. This second edition includes new chapters on balancing power among parties in mediation, evaluative mediation, and virtual mediation.