HUMAN LAW MEDIATION

Justin Patten speaks on mediation for MBL Seminars

I am pleased to inform you that I have a series of seminasr lined up with MBL Seminars for the autumn period and beyond.

These appear under 3 separate topics:

Mediation for Commercial Lawyers

Mediation for Employment Lawyers

Making Money Talk - Mediating Personal Injury Claims

For more details about these events contact MBL Seminars.

I am doing 3 seminars on mediation for Employment lawyers in September

This is a just brief post to let you know that I have teamed up with MBL Seminars and will be doing 3 mediation seminars in September in Leeds, Birmingham & London.

The last Budget was the catalyst for the publication of the Gibbons review on Employment Tribunals which concluded that workplace dispute resolution procedures are not working.

The Gibbons review has called for an end to the 2004 Dispute Resolution Regulations and has recommended that a free system of resolution and mediation be made available in cases where early resolution may be possible. Courts are likely to reduce awards in cases where mediation is not considered.

This is the rationale for doing these seminars.

Main points covered:

• The different forms of ADR - Conciliation, Arbitration, Mediation
• How mediation fits into the ADR arena and why it’s different from conciliation and arbitration
• What are the trends underpinning the growth of mediation
• What happens at a mediation? - case study & role play
• The Gibbons Report on Employment Dispute Resolution Practice
• How to prepare for an employment law mediation
• Tactics - How to conduct a mediation as a solicitor
• Dos and don'ts of the employment mediation
• Techniques of the mediator and how to deal with them

Dates are 12th, 18th & 26th of September.

For more details click here.

Mediation is coming to the Employment spectrum but are the lawyers ready?

The recent Budget was the catalyst for the publication of the Gibbons review on Employment Tribunals which concluded that workplace dispute resolution procedures are not working.

The Gibbon review has called for an end to the 2004 Dispute Resolution Regulations and has recommended that a free system of resolution and mediation be made available in cases where early resolution may be possible.   Courts are likely to reduce awards in cases where mediation isn’t considered.  The era of mediation has arrived.

Working with law firms Human Law Mediation has uncovered a disturbing truth: many aren’t prepared for this new era.  In all their years of professional development, lawyers are not trained in mediation skills and some fail to understand the different style required to get the best result from mediation.

Luckily help is at hand.  We have designed a training course for solicitors, especially suited to employment and litigation lawyers, to address this shortfall.

Making Mediation Work is a half-day in-house training session for lawyers provided by Human Law Mediation.  It will equip lawyers with the knowledge they need to get the best results from mediation

Delegates will learn:

· How mediation fits into the ADR arena and why it’s different from conciliation and arbitration
· When to use and avoid mediation
· How to conduct a mediation
· Why there’s a need for a balance between strength and aggression
· How to preparing for mediation – for the client, the legal team and how the mediator will prepare
· Do’s and don’t of mediation
· The top 5 secrets of the mediator
· A mediation ‘Game Plan’ you can use over and over again

This course has been designed to be delivered in-house for legal teams or whole departments.  All delegates will be able to claim CPD (3 hours) and will receive a full set of training notes for future reference.  The course is priced at £1,250 plus VAT for up to 12 delegates.

For further details, please contact me via email at justin(at)human-law(dot)co(dot)uk.

Richard Susskind to talk at Forum on Online Dispute Resolution

As Diane Levin points out the Fifth International Forum on Online Dispute Resolution will be held in Liverpool, England, Thursday 19th to Friday 20th April , 2007.

It looks like being a great event not least of which due to the fact that it is free but also there are a number of great speakers including  Sir Brian Neill, Kt, PC, QC, former Lord Justice of Appeal and past President of the Civil Mediation Council, and Professor Richard Susskind, IT Advisor to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.

Richard Susskind has some most inspirational and radical views connected with law and I certainly intend to be there in Liverpool when he talks on the Friday morning.

CEOs - What is your approach to technology?

There was an article in the Telegraph's business section on Friday about the online market.

"Businesses are bumping up the amount they spend on web technology to make the workplace more efficient and improve communications, according to a survey by Google and the CBI.

UK companies spend around £10.6bn on internet technology. They are expected to spend almost £13bn by 2009.

Almost three quarters of the 500 companies surveyed said they provide staff with the technology to work from home. Of these, 84pc said it improved internal communications and 75pc said it increased productivity.

Just over half of the businesses said the internet had had a "revolutionary or substantial" impact.

Peter Matthews, head of Ernst & Young's technology, communications and entertainment unit, said: "It's surprising how few businesses think the internet has had a revolutionary impact.

"It may indicate that British business is not yet opened up to the full use of the internet either in terms of the way they relate to customers or using internet-based technologies."

My observations:

1 The mentality of CEOs is probably the main barrier to organisations embracing the changing environment. I would recommend that any CEO reads the World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman and then they will understand some of the factors involved. Fundamentally we live in an era when anyone can be the competitor of the other

2 I think there are 2 kinds of people. Very technically savvy/willing people who have a clear understanding of the forces of the technology revolution or at the least a willingness to learn. On the other hand there those who really have no understanding that the world is changing and frankly do not have much willingness to do so. My experience is that it really is that black and white. It is not to say that technology is a panacea bit it is to say that you have to be willing to consider what is going on.

Reminder - MBL Seminars to do an event on blogging & podcasting on 19th October

I am just reminding you that I have linked with MBL Seminars to provide a seminar on blogging. The event is called "Blogging &Podcasting - What is it all about?"

It will take place on Thursday 19th October in Central London. To view more about the event, please click here. 

MBL Seminars have a number of other seminars going on so their website is certainly worth a look for those people based within the UK.  One of the reasons why I chose to work with MBL was that they managed to secure the services of the consultant, David Maister whom I respect. In addition they show a strong respect for speakers.

Human Law to provide 2 workshops on blogging & social media in autumn

I am pleased to tell you that I will be providing two more events on the topic of blogging and social media in the autumn.

Workshop 1 called "The Beginners Guide To Blogging" will take place on Tuesday 7th November and will be at an introductory level and is tailored for all professionals. It will cost £199 plus Vat and will cover the following areas:

• What is blogging and why it can benefit you and your firm?
• How do you set up a weblog?
• What are the risks of blogging and how do you minimise them?
• Which blogging software should you use? 
• What is podcasting and how do you do it?
• A brief consideration of  video blogging 

Workshop 2 is called "The Complete Guide To Blogging" and will take place on Tuesday 5th December. It will include all of the above and lasts a whole day. The fee is £350 plus Vat and the additional areas covered are:

• Detailed consideration of the law
• What should be within a blogging policy?
• Case studies of successful blogs
• More detail on podcasting and videocasting
• Wikis
• How organisations can resist an online attack on the blogosphere

The workshop is being held at the Lansdowne Club, Green Park, London, W1J 5JD.

If you are not satisfied with the event, you are entitled to a full refund. Attendees will receive a CD Rom containing slides and notes. The events will finish at 4.30 to help you beat the rush hour. Workshops are interactive and you are welcome to ask as many questions as you want throughout the event.

The event qualifies for the non-accredited element of the CPD requirement.

To book a place, please e-mail me at [email protected] with your name, address and a contact telephone number.

Justin Patten teams up with MBL Seminars to provide blogging event

I am pleased to let you know that I have linked with MBL Seminars to provide an event on blogging. The event is called "Blogging &Podcasting - What is it all about?" and it will take place on Thursday 19th October in Central London. To view more about the event, please click here.    

Last chance to book for blogging workshop which takes place on Wednesday 21st June

Just a brief note to inform you that this is your last chance to book for the blogging workshop my firm is running on Wednesday 21st June.

More details about the event are here.

Reminder - Blogging workshop on Wednesday 21st June

I am just reminding you that Human Law is offering the workshop called "Blogging for Beginners" on Wednesday 21st June.

The workshop will be at an introductory level and is tailored for lawyers, accountants and other professionals and will cover the following areas:

• What is blogging and why it can benefit you and your firm?
• How do you set up a weblog?
• What are the risks of blogging and how do you minimise them?
• Which blogging software should you use? 
• What is podcasting and how do you do it?
• A brief consideration of  video blogging 

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to weblog (guaranteed) and you will have full understanding of why this is such an important marketing tool within the 21st Century. Places are limited to 12 people.

The workshop is being held at the Lansdowne Club, Green Park, London, W1J 5JD.

The cost is £199 plus Vat with the event starting at 1 p.m and lasting until 5 p.m.

If you are not satisfied with the event, you are entitled to a full refund.

The event qualifies for the non- accredited element of the CPD requirement.

To book a place, please e-mail me at [email protected] with your name, address and a contact telephone number. Alternatively, please fill in the form below:

Download booking_form.pdf