An illuminating talk was delivered on 17 December by Professor Suzanne Rab of Serle Court Chambers at Manchester Metropolitan University about the development of mediation and the pros and cons of regulation. Could you or should you have one without the other? So goes the old argument. The Civil Mediation Council and Family Mediation Council offer a voluntary system but there is no compulsion to sign up. We are regulated by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and the Gambling Commission for consumer ADR. Solicitors are regulated. Why not all mediators? – Because it is costly and there are many types of mediation perhaps?
Most people agree that with rights come responsibilities. How does raising barriers impact on diversity? What about community and family mediators? Do they need the same standards? Will some mediators work outside a regulatory system? Discuss! This is something I hope that the Civil Justice Council Judicial Liaison Committee I am involved with will need to take into account in its deliberations. Reassuringly, Professor Rab considered that despite us leaving the EU following Johnson’s landslide victory in the election the UK authorities are unlikely to want to row back on increasing use of ADR as the alternative is a swamped Court system.
Fortunately all of ProMediate’s mediators are professional and follow the Code of Conduct as well as espousing high standards. We would not be so successful without them. To hire a quality mediator with an excellent success rate please check out our fixed fee scale of charges.
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