“Mediation is not just a cheap option. Although it can be simple and quick, its advantages equally surround rather attractive but less fashionable ideas of better outcomes and enduring solutions.”

Chris Shipley,

formerly chief planning inspector for England and Wales

2007 Courses:

Ø Mediation Skills Training: 26 - 29 March 2007

Last 2 places. Leading to Core’s highly regarded Certificate of Competence in Mediation Skills

Interested in negotiation and mediation – and how to do both well?

Keen to learn more about handling disputes and differences?

Interested in joining a diverse and highly skilled group to challenge how we think and act in difficult situations?

Here is an opportunity - there are two places left on Core’s next mediation course.

“I found the mediation course to be possibly the most challenging course I have ever attended."

Carol Paton, in house solicitor, Royal Bank of Scotland

Our optional assessment module takes place on 18-20 April 2007, for those wishing to be assessed for Core’s highly regarded Certificate of Competence.

CPD: 30 / 51 hours

Interested?

Click here to register on-line or here for a registration form, or contact Lisa Garrow on 0131-221-2520 or lisa.garrow@core-solutions.com.

Ø Out of the Box: Thinking Differently in Difficult Situations
Aberdeen - 19 March 2007 Glasgow - 11 May 2007

Following the success of our Out of the Box event last November, Core is running two of the most appreciated workshop sessions in Aberdeen and Glasgow.

On each day, you can choose to take part in one or both of the workshop sessions.

"... a rare occurrence to be afforded the opportunity to take sufficient time out for this sort of thinking. A very valuable day."

Managing Business Relationships David Fraser 9.30am - 12.30pm

Negotiating in Difficult Situations John Sturrock 1.30pm - 4.30pm

CPD: 3 / 6 hours

For more information click here. To download a registration form, click here or here for online registration, or contact Lisa Garrow on 0131-221-2520 or lisa.garrow@core-solutions.com.

Ø Drafting Modern Dispute Resolution Clauses

1 May 2007

A repeat of Miryana Nesic’s highly successful workshop of last year:

”Miryana provided us with some first class material and her presentation was excellent! I was impressed by the degree to which she had clearly done her homework on the Scottish scene. She is to be congratulated on managing to hold my attention on her own for over 4 hours with only one coffee and a 5min break!”

CPD: 4.5 hours

For more information click here. To download a registration form, click here or here for online registration, or contact Lisa Garrow on 0131-221-2520 or lisa.garrow@core-solutions.com.

Ø Managing Conflict in Organisations: The Role of the Ombuds

2 May 2007

A new seminar by Miryana Nesic specially designed for in house lawyers, managers, external lawyers and advisers and HR specialists.

CPD: 4.5 hours

For more information click here. To download a registration form, click here, or here for online registration, or contact Lisa Garrow on 0131-221-2520 or lisa.garrow@core-solutions.com.

Ø Intermediate Mediation and Negotiation Skills
11 - 12 June 2007

with optional third day: 13 June 2007

Leading to the Core Certificate in Intermediate Mediation and Negotiation Skills

For those who have already undertaken mediation training and are looking to refresh and enhance skills and techniques in both mediation and negotiation – and to learn about the latest techniques used in difficult situations by leading mediators. Led by John Sturrock and by Bill Marsh, one of the world’s most highly respected mediators.

CPD: 15 / 22 hours.

Click here to read the provisional timetable. To download a registration form click here, or here for online registration, or contact Lisa Garrow on 0131-221-2520 or lisa.garrow@core-solutions.com. Places limited to 18.

Mediation and Collaboration in the Commercial World

Ø Meetings with Michael Leathes

Core’s recently appointed adviser in corporate matters, Michael Leathes, had a full series of meetings on a recent visit to Scotland. He held discussions with senior figures in the financial sector, a cross section of key legal, private and public sector players and a group of in-house and IP lawyers. Click here to read the coverage by Scott Reid in the Scotsman business pages.

The momentum achieved in meetings like these was captured by a senior Scottish businessman who, having experienced mediation for himself, commented:

The process was “outstanding and saved me a fortune and endless agony.” It was “an eye opener to me and I now much approve of the mediation concept.”

The visit coincided with an article on commercial mediation in Scotland in the Insider business magazine – Kirk Ramsay, chief executive of the Glasgow Science Centre is quoted as saying:

“If you do go to mediation and get a resolution then that’s a great result compared to the time and costs involved in a full blown court action. ….We had to find a way to cut through and resolve the issues so that everyone could move forward…We wanted pragmatic resolutions not contractually based, legally stated ones…..”

Click here to read the full article.

The Gowers Review of Intellectual Property in the UK has recently recognised the need for practitioners and judges to consider mediation as a form of dispute resolution. It recommends that Practice Directions should be strengthened to provide greater encouragement for parties to mediate. (Click here for the full report)

The Intellectual Property Conflict Resolution Position of BAT, developed by Michael Leathes, is of interest:

“We recognise that there may be less expensive, more effective and faster methods of resolving intellectual property conflicts than traditional legal and administrative actions. In particular, mediation techniques and procedures (which may involve negotiations assisted by a neutral “wise counsel”) are now well-understood and developed in many countries. These can offer collaborative, creative and successful means for enabling parties in dispute to arrive at amicable settlements – rather than pursue the same objectives through expensive, protracted and hostile proceedings…”

Click here to read the full text.

Ø Companies without Borders: Collaborating to Compete:

The prevailing mood of seeking to generate outcomes through collaboration rather than positional antagonism is captured in a recent report of the Economist Intelligence Unit which points to the value of a neutral third party to help to achieve trust on all sides and to the vital importance of human relationships to make collaboration work. The report points out that people skills are critical to the success of any business partnership. Click here to read the report.

Resources

Ø Doing Deals and Resolving Conflict using Mediation and NLP

David Fraser, one of Core’s panel of facilitators and mediators (and a presenter at Core’s Thinking Differently workshops in Aberdeen and Glasgow – see above) comments:

“One complementary skill-set that can be drawn on extensively is Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), which is the somewhat arcane name for an area of expertise that provides highly effective, practical ways of working with people at the human level, particularly in relation to what we say to ourselves and to other people. Even in inter-organisational and other commercial disputes, the human dimension can be highly significant.”

Click here to read David’s full article.

Ø Apologies and Acknowledgement in Mediation

The role of acknowledgement and apology is well recognised in difficult situations but is often under-used. In mediation, these can be powerful elements in moving the parties towards a constructive outcome. In some parts of the world, such as Australia, this recognition has led to statutory provision to enable apology to be made without amounting to an admission of liability.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has recently published guidance on the giving of an apology (SPSO advice leaflet 2; www.spso.org.uk).

Core will be hosting a seminar about the non-monetary aspects of dispute resolution in employment matters in May.

Ø Mediation in the Press

Click here to read John Sturrock’s article published in the Scotsman about negotiating a new constitutional arrangement between Holyrood and Westminster and here for the recent article entitled “Different way of thinking isn’t a threat to courts”.

Ø Chartered Institute of Arbitrators new Journal

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators launched its new Journal, Arbitration: The International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management, with an edition devoted entirely to mediation, including articles about developments in Scotland in recent years and about how mediation in fact pre-dates litigation!

Click here to read the article entitled Reflections on Commercial Mediation in Scotland, or visit the CIArb website at www.arbitrators.org

Ø Civil Justice Review in Scotland

The Executive has announced a review of Scotland’s civil courts under the Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Gill. In its recently issued report on civil justice, the Executive focuses on the key principles of proportionality and value for money, including the promotion of early resolution of disputes, preferably by negotiation between the parties. It notes that “negotiation-based methods of dispute resolution, such as mediation, can offer an alternative way of reaching a conclusion in a dispute, or can at least help to focus the key issues and preserve a process of dialogue which may avoid positions becoming too entrenched.” Click here to read the review online.

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