Press Release
28 September 2005Leading mediation centres join forces to create the first global mediation alliance
IBA Conference, Prague - It was announced today at the International Bar Association Conference in Prague, that the five leading international mediation service providers are to join forces to establish a high-quality alliance of commercial mediation and conflict management service providers, to be called 'MEDAL - The International Mediation Services Alliance'.
The founding members of MEDAL, all of whom are pre-eminent providers of commercial mediation and conflict management services in their own jurisdictions, are: ACBMediation in the Netherlands, ADR Center in Italy, CEDR Solve in the UK, CMAP in France, and JAMS in the United States.
MEDAL is being established to work on national and cross-border mediation and conflict management services, offering a high-quality service to users of dispute resolution worldwide. Alliance members will work together to provide clients with access to a cadre of the world's leading conflict management professionals capable of handling complex commercial disputes wherever they may occur.
MEDAL members will also co-operate on individual client assignments requiring a multinational and multi-lingual approach, including offering co-mediation teams to help resolve complex disputes.
A key aim of the Alliance is to share with business the benefit of its members' skills and experience. This will include upholding professional standards of competence and ethical behaviour in dispute resolution and promoting the use of contract clauses designed to alleviate the need for litigation from many business disputes.
MEDAL members will also be jointly promoting and conducting international seminars, conferences and other events to raise awareness of the importance of quality in dispute resolution and establishing common platforms for regulatory lobbying.
Speaking on the Alliance at the International Bar Association Conference in Prague, Eileen Carroll, CEDR Deputy Chief Executive said "There is real need in international dispute resolution to provide best practice. The coming together of these experts will create this through shared learning, combined knowledge and local understanding of different jurisdictions."
Tim Hardy, Partner and Head of Litigation at CMS Cameron McKenna LLP commented on the news, "This is undoubtedly the most significant development in the field of international disputes for many years, reflecting the increasing acceptance of ADR as an effective tool for resolving complex, cross border disputes commercially. The members of the Alliance, who are all leading providers in their own jurisdictions, are now best placed to take the lion share of international ADR. However, the main beneficiaries will be international businesses who have traditionally resolved their disputes at great cost through litigation and arbitration."
Geoff Nicholas, Partner and Head of International Arbitration Group (London) at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, commented on the news, "Dispute resolution is increasingly international in nature and clients are increasingly looking for alternatives to litigation in order to resolve such disputes. Therefore, this is a timely initiative, with the promise of access to experienced mediators from different business, legal, national and cultural backgrounds. Understanding the attitudes and perspectives of parties from different countries is essential to the successful consensual resolution of international disputes."
Notes to editors:
Quote from President and CEO of JAMS, Steve Price: "As companies continue to expand on a global scale, they are looking more and more to ADR service providers to resolve a growing number of international business disputes. We are thrilled by the opportunity to expand our alliance with CEDR to include the highly-skilled neutrals at CMAP, ADR Center and ACBMediation."
About ACBMediation
ACBMediation is a not-for-profit organisation that informs and advises companies on conflict management and the use of mediation, and is specialised in the selection of qualified mediators. The aim of this foundation is to promote the use of alternative dispute resolution in commercial conflicts. The foundation was formed in 1998 by (legal) professional associations and businesses that saw a need for a high-quality infrastructure in the field of conflict management and commercial mediation. ACB was appointed by the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers VNO-NCW as the mediation organisation for the Dutch private sector. For more information visit: www.mediation-bedrijfsleven.nl.
About ADR Center
Established in 1998 ADR Center (www.adrcenter.it) is Italy's first and largest provider of conflict management and alternative dispute resolution services. Headquartered in Rome, ADR Center manages several hundred of dispute enquiries per year, mostly involving foreign entities.
The ADR Center team is made up of professionals with experience throughout the world.
About CEDR Solve
CEDR Solve, the UK's leading commercial mediation provider, is CEDR's dispute resolution and prevention service and has managed over 10,000 dispute enquiries covering every industry sector and a wide-ranging cross section of disputes and case values. Case studies are available on CEDR Solve's website - www.cedr-solve.com. In addition to managing mediation and other dispute resolution processes, CEDR Solve provides a range of consultancy and training solutions for business people and professionals.
CEDR (the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution) is the leader in the development of neutral-assisted dispute resolution. It is a non-profit organisation and its mission is to encourage and develop cost effective dispute prevention and dispute resolution in commercial and public sector disputes and in civil litigation. CEDR operates in the UK and internationally and has been instrumental in helping to bring mediation into the heart of business practice and into the judicial system. CEDR Mediator Accreditation is recognised as an international standard.
About CMAP
CMAP is a non-profit organisation created at the initiative of the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with major players in the French economic and legal world. France's leading commercial mediation provider, CMAP recently celebrated its tenth anniversary and has handled well over 1 000 mediations since 1995. CMAP currently deals with 200 to 250 mediations per year, with a 75% success rate and 15% of its activity dedicated to the prevention and the resolution of international disputes.
CMAP provides a range of conflict management services and trains people wishing to become mediators as well as attorneys whose aim is to represent their clients more efficiently at mediation. CMAP is responsible for building both the awareness and use of mediation in France, and, over the last decade, has won the confidence of courts and tribunals, who regularly refer matters capable of settlement to CMAP's highly respected panel of neutrals. For further information, please connect at www.cmap.fr.
About JAMS, The Resolution Experts
Founded in 1979, JAMS, The Resolution Experts, is the nation's largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services. With 23 Resolution Centers across the United States, JAMS and its more than 200 full-time, exclusive neutrals are responsible for resolving thousands of important cases each year. JAMS may be reached at 01-949-224-1810 and on the web at www.jamsadr.com.
For further information contact:
ACBMediation
The Hague, Netherlands
Manon Schonewille: ACB@vno-ncw.nl
+31 70 349 04 93
ADR Center
Rome, Italy
Elena Ciancio: elena.ciancio@adrcenter.it
+39 06 69380004
CEDR Solve
London, UK
Andy Rogers: arogers@cedr.com
+44 (0)20 7536 6000
CMAP
Paris, France
Bertrand Lasserre: blasserre@cmap.fr
+33 (0)1 44 95 11 40
JAMS, The Resolution Experts
USA
Michele Apostolos: mapostolos@jamsadr.com
(+1) 949 224 4662 (direct), (+1) 310-422-2163 (cell)