The 16th meeting of the World Mediation Forum of the UIA was held in Lisbon, Portugal, on January 27-28, 2012. It was very well attended, as the attached attendance sheet attests. Co-President Colin Wall noted that attendees came from 31 countries.
A panel on mandatory mediation brought out some interesting recent developments, including a game-changer in Italy. Read more »
The mediation scene in Italy sometimes seems like the upper balcony at La Scala: Lots of opinions snd shouting but uncertain direction or authority. Happily, Italy is graced with some real mediation leadership, some of whom are young, enegetic, persistent, articulate and smart. One such is Alessandro Bruni.
Alessandro has recently posted a two-part article on the current state of mediation in Italy – post-lawyers’ strike, post-European Directive — that is informative and illuminating. It can be found here and here, and it is hoped that all those interested in this vital part of the legal and economic European scene will devote attention to it.
At the IBA in Dubai last week, a three-hour session was held on “The Rise of Multiculturalism and Resulting Challenges of Managing Diversity in the Workplace.” While the subjects discussed were fascinating, the subjects not discussed might have been even more so. Read more »
A recent U.S. District Court opinion has tested the ethical rules barring mediators from representing a party in a subsequent matter that is “identical” or “substantially related” to the mediated matter. It found that, at least in the case before the court, that test had not been satisfied and the mediator/attorney was permitted to continue to represent the client. Read more »