Independent Mediators Limited

ADVERTORIAL

Independent Mediators Limited is a group of leading, full time commercial mediators whose independent practices are centrally managed. The company operates both in the UK and internationally.

Independent Mediators (IM) was formally launched in June 2007. We operate as a mediation chambers. All the mediators work full time as mediators and are only appointed through Independent Mediators.

Our chambers consists of Charles Dodson, Phillip HowellRichardson, Kate Jackson, Michel Kallipetis QC, Jonathan LloydJones, Mark Lomas QC, Bill Marsh, Andrew Paton and Nicholas Pryor.

When forming IM our aim was to make the process of instructing mediators simpler and to recognise and to meet the requirements of instructing solicitors and individuals. We are very conscious of the need to provide a competitive service and are recognised as offering exceptional value for money. We make the country’s top mediators available at affordable prices for any size dispute. We do not charge any admin fees to the parties.

Only mediators recognised by the leading directories as being in the top tiers of UK mediators are invited to become members of Independent Mediators. We are unashamedly “elitist” offering some of the best mediators in Europe. We will never offer an inappropriate mediator for any instruction.

The concept has worked extraordinarily well. Instructing solicitor’s feedback shows that not only was our business model correct but that the quality of the mediators’ performance and the administrative service that supports them has probably exceeded expectations.

The number of mediations per year has consistently increased since our launch and now numbers 500+ per year. Since we launched the group we have received in excess of 4500 appointments.

The parties to cases IM members mediate range from litigants in person to multinational companies; with sums claimed from £25k to multi billion.

Appointments are received from a broad range of sources including, top ten City firms, international law firms, regional and high street practices, increasingly from in-house lawyers, government departments, security services, local authorities, police forces and litigants in person.

The subjects mediated to name a few categories cover all aspects of commercial/financial services/banking/employment/ professional negligence/regulatory/class actions and insurance disputes.

Our appointments are increasingly from international sources with the number growing each year. Instructions from lawyers, clients and governments along with training and consultancy means our mediators have worked with over 85 countries worldwide. Following the implementation of the European Mediation Directive we took the decision to recognise the mediators experience and to offer our services to a wider audience who may wish to take advantage of the combined expertise in the growing areas of International/Cross Border/Multiparty disputes.

Our international presence has been identified by the international directory Who’s Who Legal: Commercial Mediation. They acknowledge IM as a leading mediation chambers recognised for the excellence of their specialists.

Contact Us: Telephone: 020 7127 9223 Email: imoffice@independentmediators.co.uk Website: www.independentmediators.co.uk

Families at War

By Roger Levitt

What brings families to fight and fall out over property, wills, probate or money – or all of them?

On a simple level it might appear simple for people to disagree over any of the above. We all have our differences of opinion, even within our families. But when you look closer it’s harder to understand how or why families can destroy themselves by these differences of opinion. Sadly the roots of the dispute can often go back many years, even to childhood, between siblings or parents at war. Sometimes the participants can’t even remember why they’ve fallen out it was so long ago. However the end result is the same: deadlock bitterness and stalemate.

What can be done?

The first and most important thing is to find a way to bring the warring parties together, either in the same room or at least in the same building. Often easier said than done. It is common for parties to refuse to be in the same room as each other. Also, human nature often hopes a problem will go away and then when it really blows up it’s often too late. But the earlier the issues can be identified with the help of a neutral, and then dealt with- the better.

Bringing the family together

If the family can be encouraged to get together with an experienced mediator, even if in the same building if not necessarily in the same rooms to start, there is a better chance that a resolution can be reached, with goodwill and hard work on all sides. As mediation is a voluntary process it sometimes takes parties many months before they agree to the mediation process.

In my experience, where parties are in separate rooms at the start of the day, because they don’t feel comfortable being together, it often happens that as the day progresses and there is movement towards settlement, the parties come together naturally, producing some extraordinary results, and even the start of a possible family reconciliation

A family intermediary

There is often a family member who hasn’t been embroiled in the dispute who can help the mediator by being an informal go between. It is helpful for that person to attend the mediation to give both sides peace of mind. Shuttle mediation

It is then common for the mediator to shuttle between the parties, until ideally a resolution is reached. A detailed examination of the negotiation and settlement process is beyond the scope of this article Staying in Touch if no settlement is reached on the day

Sometimes it’s unrealistic to expect a dispute that has been running for years, to be settled in a day. I stay in touch for 7 days after the mediation (or longer if requested) if a settlement hasn’t been reached on the day. Often when the dust has settled negotiations can continue and the dispute is resolved in the days or weeks ahead.

Resolving conflict, transforming business

We recognise that an organisation is only as Transforming Business

successful as its relationships.• Workplace Mediation and Conflict Resolution: to repair professional relationships and leave organisations stronger We are recognised in the legal directories as providing high-quality facilitation and mediation services for the widest • Leadership Development: to challenge senior leaders to be range of workplace and employment disputes. the best they can be We use practitioners experienced in coaching, mediation and • Team Performance: to drive both individual facilitation, negotiation and psychotherapy to maximise your and collective performance chances of resolution. • Executive Coaching: to unlock self-learning 90%+ Mediation success rate and hence maximise potential Pre and post mediation coaching Mediator supervision Mediation skills for managers 0203 753 5350 caroline@sheridanresolutions.com

Clients include household names in retail, sheridanresolutions.com finance and leisure industries

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