bringing together a whole raft of skills and experience. However, there are some essentials. Proper preparation is key for me, and I ring-fence my mediation days to achieve this. Being able to demonstrate that I have read and understood the papers and identified the key legal, commercial and personal issues helps me to gain the lawyers’ and their clients’ trust. This speeds up the process of communication and enables me to question and challenge positions effectively and accurately. Managing the process well (and sometimes it feels like herding leopards!) is also crucial to avoid losing the opportunity that mediation represents to achieve an overall resolution – wherever possible getting away from the dreaded ‘half past four first offer syndrome’ that has bedevilled mediations from early days. It is vital to never lose sight of the commercial outcome and to instil energy into the process when it is needed. Allowing emotion and managing this calmly means that the parties feel respected and listened to. This, in turn, encourages them to acknowledge the flexibility that will be needed to get to a resolution. I think it is also important to recognise that, like everything in life, mediation is an evolving process and mediators need to be alive to this. It is not just the parties who need to be flexible in their approach; this is also a key requirement for mediators. You were referred to as ‘one of the most technology-embracing mediators in the UK’ in the recently published Legal 500 Guide 2023. Aside from CDR Remote, what other services do you offer that embrace technology? CDR Remote was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, but what has become evident is that remote mediations MY LEGAL LIFE 23
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