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17 August 2012 / Peter Whitman
Issue: 7527 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Mediation , ADR
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Selection matters

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Peter Whitman debates the pros & cons of selecting your own tribunal

How often is that, having taken, what is for many, the forward thinking step of considering mediation as the appropriate form of dispute resolution, the problem of whom should be appointed as the mediator, arises? Suddenly an extra dimension has been added to the process—the parties have been given a choice of who will deal with the case. Rather than being allocated a judge by the Court Service, and possible one they would rather avoid, to make a finding, the parties now have the opportunity to choose who will assist in facilitating an agreement. The opportunity to look at a mediator’s profile and decide if his, or her, experience is such that qualifies them to deal with this particular case, and its areas of law.

An added dimension

This is an additional dimension, but is it a problem? I accept that extra time has to be spent in locating a suitable mediator, agreeing the appointment and the date for

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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