In February of this year, Riverdale Mediation was happy to welcome UK family lawyer Felicity Shedden as a guest in our practice. For a week, Felicity sat in on mediations and arbitrations, getting a feel for the ADR climate in Toronto.
Felicity has now authored a compelling article on her time in Toronto for The Review, a UK-based dispute resolution periodical. Entitled, “Are we ready for Med-Arb?”, Felicity’s piece is a thoughtful reflection on the growth of med-arb as a trusted ADR process in the Toronto context, and the hesitance of UK professionals to adopt this process.
Felicity notes that, for many ADR professionals across the pond, med-arb seems unviable. They ask: how can a single person act in two such different roles – that of both the mediator and the arbitrator? Felicity, on the other hand, seems thoroughly convinced of the utility of the med-arb process after her observations in Toronto. She writes,
“My answer to those people is that Med-Arb, at its best, really works. Clients like it. They get a single, streamlined, and efficient process. They have the opportunity for a self-determined outcome, but with the certainty of a conclusion one way or another, within a reasonable timescale and a flexible framework.”
Well said, Felicity! Here at Riverdale, mediation-arbitration is an increasingly popular dispute resolution mechanism for people whose disputes are ongoing and highly conflicted. We believe med-arb to be a good process choice for parties who want a private process that is tailored to meet their needs.
We are thrilled to have been featured in Felicity’s article, and to be able to demonstrate med-arb as a viable and desirable process for professionals working in different contexts.
You can follow Felicity on Twitter: @FShedden
The post Ruminations from Across the Pond: Felicity Shedden on “Are we ready for Med-Arb?” appeared first on Riverdale Mediation.