Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
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Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) is a London-based mediation and alternative dispute resolution body. It was founded as a non-profit organisation in 1990, with the support of The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and a number of British businesses and law firms, to encourage the development and use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and mediation in commercial disputes. The initiative was led by Professor Karl Mackie, a barrister and psychologist, who became the organisation's Chief Executive and Eileen Carroll, a Trans-Atlantic partner with a law firm, who joined to become the Deputy Chief Executive.
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[edit] Background
Initially CEDR's focus was, by necessity, UK-focused, where in the early 1990s mediation was not well established in business disputes. Through its campaigning and training work CEDR helped influence the civil justice system. In 1996 the then Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Woolf of Barnes (who now retired is Chair of CEDR's International Advisory Council), published his 'Access To Civil Justice Report' which encouraged the use of ADR, followed by the Civil Procedure Rules in 1999 which enabled judges to impose cost sanctions to either party when ADR was refused or ignored. These guidelines, along with case law (for example Dunnet v Railtrack, 2002) and subsequent clarification of the CPR saw the growth of the use of ADR and in particular mediation in the UK. Parallel to this was a growth in demand for CEDR's services in dispute resolution and training. From the mid 1990’s onwards CEDR’s focus became international, to begin with encouraging mediation in other European countries and working international cases, to establishing the MEDAL international mediation service provider alliance (2005) and creating the first international mediation centre in China with China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).
[edit] Areas of activity
CEDR works in four main ways.
[edit] Promotion
CEDR states that all money raised from its activities get put into the promotion of mediation and ADR, through events, schemes and running many services at cost. CEDR, a UK registered charity (no.1060369), asks global businesses to be members to support these activities. CEDR runs a number of elements under this umbrella, which include: The Exchange Participant Network Programme – quarterly events and newsletter for mediators around the world (over 700 members). The European Mediation Congress – a biennial conference event always held in London, last held in 2005. The Excellence in ADR Awards – another biennial event. The Mediator Audit – again biennial, tends to coincide with the Congress and gauges the quantity and quality of mediations over the previous two years. Last Audit was published November 2005.
[edit] Dispute Resolution
CEDR Solve is the dispute resolution service arm of CEDR. Any business or law firm facing a dispute can call to speak to a case adviser who will provide advice and be able to recommend an accredited mediator or neutral to resolve their dispute. A number of the world’s top mediator’s are only available via this service but CEDR Solve says it has over 130 accredited mediators on its panel of experts. The service says it has advised on over 11,000 disputes to date and mediates approximately 700 disputes a year
[edit] Training
Training mediators for over fifteen years, its Mediator Training Skills is widely thought to be the best in the world. With a faculty of 30 top mediators, CEDR says over 3000 mediators from different countries have been trained to date. Once passed mediators can go on to become accredited. In the last ten years CEDR has also branched out and offers other courses such as Advocacy Skills for lawyers and Conflict Management for managers.
[edit] Consultancy
Increasingly CEDR says it is called into organisations and disputes at an early stage to design a resolution system or training scheme. In 2006 CEDR announced it had been appointed by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation to introduce mediation to Pakistan. In its 2005 report CEDR said it has also worked with IBM, the Court of Appeal and the National Association of Pension Funds.
