Alternative Dispute Resolution Solicitors in UK

ADR is a system of settling a dispute without a lawsuit, court case or trial. Alternative dispute methods include mediation, conciliation, arbitration, and settlement; ADR is far less formal than the normal legal process and generally involves the appointment of a third party such as an Alternative Dispute Solicitor.

The ADR lawyer would preside over a hearing with all parties. The benefit of ADR is the privacy and cost effectiveness without Court litigation. The final result must be based on compromise because there is no legal ruling but an agreement is legally recorded.

The Civil Procedure Rules emphasise the overriding objective of dealing with cases in a cost effective manner and encourage avoiding trial where possible

It may be a dispute over a neighbour's hedge or drive, a matter that would cost a great deal of money to settle through the court process in addition to solicitors fees for amending deeds etc. Quite often, even after the issue is settled, the result makes no difference to either parties life … other than putting to bed an age old argument over something that many would consider trivial, yet to the parties involved, it is a matter of principal and should be settled.

More complicated disputes are generally those related to business and call upon Commercial Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution.

It is important to seek advice on litigation, mediation, arbitration, negotiation and adjudication.

Commercial disputes are not only costly and time consuming but place stress upon business parties especially where long-standing trading relationships are concerned and indeed threatened.

ADR isn't always as simple an ADR solicitor sitting between two parties and encouraging them to shake hands and make friends. It may be necessary to utilise litigation and/or mediation procedures to resolve disputes. It is likely that alternative dispute resolution involves contractual issues and compensation claims for damages.

The difference between going to court, suing and counter-suing where costs and legal fees could be higher that the contractual issue itself, as opposed to calling upon an ADR solicitor to preside over the dispute, is not only a financial one, but also speeds the dispute resolution enabling both parties to continue their obligations or seek new contractors.

It is clear that neither party may appoint their own solicitor and both parties need to agree on a solicitor that specialises in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

It might be wise to take an equidistant town or city from each party and select an ADR solicitor in that area. At least both parties have the same distance to travel !

Willingness to bring the dispute to a speedy conclusion is not only an economical choice but showing willingness and holding your hand out to help the casuse is crucial.

If one or both parties simply want to win, or have entered into an ADR to save court costs and legal fees, but want to win, may not save money because the process will drag on and time costs money.

Take on board, there is an issue, it has escalated to a dispute, neither party can agree and it is preventing you from moving on.

Be prepared and willing to compromise for a speedy and more economical result.

Mediation is an alternative method used to resolve disputes, which is usually quick and non-confrontational. It means that cases can be settled without the time and expense of court proceedings.

Our team are experienced mediators and two members are accredited ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Group mediators. Everyone in our large mediation team is able to represent clients at mediations and our ADR Group members are also able to sit as mediators. One of the ADR Group members particularly specialises in personal injury claims, and between these mediators they have resolved disputes in excess of £1 million.
Main services are

* Representing clients in mediation
* Acting as mediators in mediations
* We offer home visits to the elderly, infirm and disabled and can provide large print leaflets on request

Prettys is committed to Alternative Dispute Resolution in all its forms. The use of ADR, particularly mediation is central to our philosophy of seeking to achieve cost effective and creative solutions to disputes wherever possible.

We have two trained mediators amongst our dispute resolution lawyers and a larger number of lawyers who are experienced in advising clients on the use of ADR techniques and representing them in mediations.

We have successfully employed ADR in cases both before and after court proceedings or arbitration have or has been begun across a broad range of disputes of widely differing values. We have successfully resolved disputes involving: claims against professionals; civil engineering and construction contracts; carriage of goods by sea and land; corporate disputes, including shareholder issues and corporate finance; partnership disputes; IT and IP; supply of goods and services; and property rights.

Mediation can, in our experience, be particularly effective in multi party disputes, where total costs can quickly become disproportionate to even quite sizeable claims and it can be difficult to get all parties together in the same place at the same time. The process of mediation can prove a lot less acrimonious than litigation or arbitration and therefore help to preserve ongoing business relationships when a dispute arises. Also, because the range of solutions available through mediation is greater than is available to the courts or to arbitrators, mediation can be both more flexible and creative and sometimes better able to meet the parties’ interests.

The courts actively promote mediation. There are a number of court sponsored mediation schemes. It is important to have in mind that a refusal to consider mediation can have adverse consequences (usually in the form of disallowing or reducing costs) even for a party who is successful in litigation. There are an increasing number of reported cases in which the point has arisen.

The Civil Procedure Rules emphasise the overriding objective of dealing with cases in a cost effective manner and encourage avoiding trial if at all possible. Central to such an objective is the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution, or ADR as it is commonly known.

Glovers was one of the four founding firms of CEDR, the pre-eminent Alternative Dispute Resolution organisation in the UK. Three of the partners (David Miles, Tony Bourne and Peter Pitt) are accredited ADR Mediators. David is described in Chambers Directory as an "excellent mediator" and he is also described as one of the leaders in construction mediation. He is part of CEDR's Mediator Training Faculty and a member of the Panel of Independent Mediators, comprising eleven of the most experienced mediators in the UK. He is also joint author of "The ADR Practice Guide (Commercial Dispute Resolution)" published in November 2000. David Miles is also Chairman of the Construction Conciliation Group (CCG) - www.ccgroup.org.uk. He developed the Construction Conciliation Procedure, which is a cost effective dispute resolution process aimed specifically at disputes concerning residential occupiers and their builders."

Glovers' solicitors are trained in the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Cases are assessed as to their suitability for settlement by ADR and our lawyers are able to advise clients and assist the Court at the Case Management Conference as to the appropriateness of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Commercial Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution
Advice on litigation, mediation, arbitration, negotiation and adjudication.

Commercial disputes can be costly; time consuming; and are always undesirable particularly where long-standing trading relationships may be threatened, that’s why we aim to reach a quick and satisfactorily resolution.

We work in partnership with our clients firstly to explore the possibilities of avoiding dispute but, if dispute is inevitable, then to utilise litigation and (if appropriate) mediation procedures to resolve disputes and contractual claims, including, if necessary,compensation claims for damages.

We pursue and protect the rights and entitlement of many small, medium and large commercial concerns; our range of staff ensures that each case can be dealt with appropriately and proportionately.

We enjoy an acknowledged reputation for the quality of our work in this field and welcome instructions in contractual claims; construction and engineering disputes; insolvency and intellectual property matters.

An important aspect of our approach is to ensure that our clients are kept informed on a continuing basis of the costs implications of the advice given, and of the action to be taken. The repeat instructions which we receive from our clients confirm that this partnership attitude is appreciated.