Kent mediation expert Dr Cheryl Dolder has been asked to join an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) that is engaging with policy makers and working to promote methods of resolving disputes within the civil justice system that don\u2019t involve going to court.<\/p>\n
Now in its second year, the APPG on ADR<\/a> is currently collecting evidence to determine the cost-effectiveness of dispute resolution processes (such as mediation and arbitration) within the context of a civil justice reform agenda.<\/p>\n Dr Dolder<\/a> became involved with the APPG on ADR while researching current initiatives that might inform the objectives of the Appropriate Dispute Resolution module<\/a> that she convenes at Kent Law School.<\/p>\n Dr Dolder said: \u2018Having made contact with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, which provides the secretariat for the group, I was invited to\u00a0provide an academic lens through which to view the group’s involvement with ‘affordable justice’.\u00a0I am currently participating\u00a0in\u00a0a specialist\u00a0group’s work\u00a0exploring\u00a0a quantifiable\u00a0cost\/benefit analysis of mediation.<\/p>\n \u2018The work of the APPG on ADR is crucial to ensure that\u00a0policy decisions accurately promote the use of processes most appropriate for the interests and needs of parties in dispute, particularly when the proposed implementation of the Online Court is fast approaching. Here, the spotlight is set to fall on mediation as the gatekeeper to justice through the courts; hence, its values need to\u00a0stand up to\u00a0close scrutiny of its actual, rather than commonly perceived, effectiveness.\u00a0This is why the teaching of appropriate dispute resolution is so important in today’s law schools and why the APPG is\u00a0exploring opportunities to support the Government’s intentions\u00a0to review the development of ADR in the Legal Services Act.<\/p>\n \u2018As a nation, we have a long adversarial tradition; if mediation and other forms of ADR are to become the norm, there needs to be a significant sea change in the climate and culture of dispute resolution in the UK. The APPG, with the\u00a0input of Kent Law School, is actively contributing to that process.\u2019<\/p>\n The primary aim of the module that Dr Dolder teaches at Kent is to introduce students to the legal and regulatory issues surrounding methods of dispute resolution aside from litigation. Specifically, the module focuses on the practical factors relevant to selecting appropriate dispute resolution in distinct circumstances, including, for example, the employment and family law arenas.<\/p>\n Students at Kent Law School also have the option to develop practical skills in ADR by taking extra-curricular modules in\u00a0Negotiation<\/a>, Mediation<\/a> or Client Interviewing. The Law School is currently preparing to host the annual Brown Mosten International Client Consultation Competition<\/a> from 19 to 21 April.<\/p>\n