Is Mediation an Opportunity that the Civil Justice System Has Missed

Organised by the Bar Council’s ADR Committee

Mediation is a fashionable and much-discussed topic - but has it delivered? Has the civil justice system made proper use of ADR? Do litigators and judges fully appreciate the advantages offered by ADR? Did Halsey v Milton Keynes effectively end the threat of costs sanctions against those who refuse to mediate? Should the CPR be amended to provide for a presumption in favour of the use of mediation, or even to make it
compulsory? Or has mediation already been taken as far as it usefully can? Is it now an expensive and timeconsuming process that achieves little that properly conducted negotiations cannot achieve? The workshop’s panel will present a range of views and give an opportunity to join this stimulating debate.

Moderator
Jeremy Dein QC 25 Bedford Row; Director of Education, Criminal Bar Association

Speakers
Lesley Anderson QC Kings Chambers, Manchester and Leeds
His Honour Judge Nicholas Chambers QC Mercantile Judge for Wales
Alan Fisher Litigation Solicitor, Fisher Scoggins LLP
Bill Wood QC Commercial Mediator, Brick Court Chambers