Regulating Dispute Resolution

This book proposes a principled approach to the regulation of dispute resolution. It covers dispute resolution mechanisms in all their varieties, including negotiation, mediation, conciliation, expert opinion, mini-trial, ombud procedures, arbitration and court adjudication. The authors present a transnational Guide for Regulating Dispute Resolution (GRDR). The regulatory principles contained in this Guide are based on a functional taxonomy of dispute resolution mechanisms, an open normative framework and a modular structure of regulatory topics. The Guide for Regulating Dispute Resolution is formulated and commented upon in a concise manner to assist legislators, policy-makers, professional associations, practitioners and academics in thinking about which solutions best suit local and regional circumstances. The aim of this book is to contribute to the understanding and development of the legal framework governing national and international dispute resolution. Theory, empirical research and regulatory models have been taken from the wealth of experience in 12 jurisdictions: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England and Wales, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United States of America. Experts with a background in academia, practice and law-making describe and analyse the regulatory framework and social reality of dispute resolution in these countries. On this basis the authors draw conclusions about policy choices, regulatory strategies and the practice of conflict resolution. This title is included in Bloomsbury Professional's International Arbitration online service.

Mediation provides an attractive alternative to resolving disputes through court proceedings. Mediation promises just results in the interest of all parties concerned, a reduction of the court caseload, and cost savings for the parties involved as well as for the treasury. The European Directive on Mediation has given mediation in Europe new momentum by establishing a common framework for cross-border mediation. Beyond Europe, many states have tried in recent years to answer the question whether, and if so, how mediation should be regulated at a national and international level. The aim of this book is to promote the understanding and discussion of regulatory issues by presenting comparative research on mediation. It describes and analyses the law and practice of mediation in twenty-two countries. Europe is represented by chapters on mediation in Austria, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Spain. The world beyond Europe is analysed in chapters on mediation in Australia, Canada, China, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Switzerland and the USA. Against this background, further chapters on fundamental issues identify possible regulatory models and discuss central principles of mediation law and practice. In particular, the work considers harmonisation and diversity in the law of mediation as well as the economic and constitutional problems associated with privatising civil justice. To the extent available, empirical research is used as a point of reference in the critical analysis.

An in-depth look at the institutionalization of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes in the federal and state regulatory arenas over the past twenty-five years, this volume showcases the value of these processes and highlights the potential for their expanded application and growth. It describes ADR techniques, how to use them, and how to integrate them into existing processes, using examples from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and three state utility regulatory commissions. The authors spearheaded initiatives to integrate these processes and skills at the federal level. Drawing from valuable insights gained from their experience, the authors introduce a versatile new ADR system design model, the Voices of Value, which aims to enhance input, creativity, and effectiveness in regulatory and other public arenas, as well as the private sector.

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 many regions of the world and across various fields, law has become a product. Individuals and companies seek attractive legal regulations and countries advertise their legal wares globally as they compete for customers. To analyse this development and to develop policy recommendations with respect to contract law and dispute resolution a conference was held in Munich in October 2011, bringing together leading scholars in the field of contract law and dispute resolution from the US and Europe. This book presents the papers and main comments produced for that conference. The chapters include important papers on, inter alia, law and economic theory, legal transplants, theories of private law, choice of law, the characterisation of contract law and the English and American civil procedural traditions.

Examines the impact of the new EU law in the field of consumer redress. It explores the new European legal framework and the main methods of consumer redress, analyses the implementation of the ADR Directive in various Member States, and evaluates new trends in consumer ADR.

Despite slow progress in use, mediation continues to consolidate its presence in dispute resolution. This important book argues that a more favourable socio-legal climate must be created for mediation to thrive, and accordingly analyses the legal, cultural, social, systemic and spatial aspects of the use of mediation in the legal practice of the different countries of the European Union (EU). Based on a spatiotemporal analysis and models of mediation in the EU, it pinpoints the social and cultural reasons for the fragmentation of its legal regulation and shows what paths are available to promote the effective implementation of mediation in social practice. It is the first book to capture the socio-legal context of mediation. A spatiotemporal analysis of the extent of use of mediation in a region as large and at the same time as diverse as the EU has never been carried out before. Using various methodological and conceptual approaches to analyse the legal and social aspects of introducing mediation to legal systems, the authors – all with long-term experience in the exercise and research of mediation directly in the field – provide invaluable insights into such facets of the use of mediation as the following: the social context that raises the need for mediation; obstacles to the wider use of mediation in resolving disputes between parties; the effects of social influences reflected in legislation that shape the laws of each country; the basic models that make up the system of access to mediation in specific EU Member States; the role of law as a tool for social change and its reflection in the legal regulation of mediation; and perspectives for further development of mediation in the EU. The legislative efforts proposed to enhance the regulation of mediation in EU countries are based on modern knowledge of law, sociology and psychology. As a unique combination of exploration of the theoretical determinants of mediation and an empirical study of the extent of its use in the European area, this book’s fundamental contribution to the legal theory and practice of mediation is inarguable. Its analysis of mediation from three perspectives – as a means of improving citizens’ access to justice, as a means of applying social justice in society, and as a means of restorative justice – are of the utmost value in today’s global society. For users of mediation, EU institutions involved in mediation, EU Member State authorities addressing the issue of mediation, and the wider dispute resolution community worldwide, the book will be welcomed for the giant steps it takes toward refining arguments for the promotion of mediation and its development, in theory, research and practice.

For situations where the forum selection clause can make all the difference, this book is invaluable. The text shows how parties can mitigate the effects of concurrent jurisdiction ex ante through the use of forum selection clauses in arbitration agreements, and also explains the role of provisional and protective measures in the regulation of forum selection and judicial doctrines that directly regulate "improper" forum selections. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.