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: Click here to read the full text.