From the Mediation Committee Co-Chairs - July 2022

Martin Hauser
Martin Hauser Mediation, Munich
martin.hauser@martinhausermediation.com

Federico Antich
Studio dell'Avvocato Antich, Florence
avvfa@icloud.com

Dear members,

We are glad to share with you the IBA Mediation Committee’s first of two biannual bulletins in 2022 and we hope that you will enjoy reading the contributions.

Please feel free to share with us your own thoughts on mediation in the form of articles or notes to be published in this year’s second bulletin. You may address them to our Newsletter Editor, Alexander Leventhal (AlexanderLeventhal@QuinnEmanuel.com). 

As you are aware, the Covid-19 pandemic has fostered the broad use of digital programs such as the Zoom platform, not only for trans-border commercial mediations, but also for the use of webinars which bring together attendees from around the globe for an hour or two, which would not reasonably be feasible in an in-person format.

We believe that the use of webinars will stay after the pandemic and therefore the Committee made the choice to organise in 2022, mostly together with other IBA committees, the following joint webinars, some of which have already taken place:

• 'Mediation of aviation-related disputes', 14 March 2022, with the IBA Aviation Law Committee. Watch recording 
• 'Investor–state mediation: From IBA to ICSID - the road ahead', 14 June 2022, supported by the IBA Arbitration Committee & IBA Corporate Counsel Forum. Watch recording 
• 'International commercial mediation', date to be defined, together with the European Court of Arbitration
• 'Designing ethical online dispute resolution systems', date to be defined, upon the initiative of the IBA Professional Ethics Committee
• 'Mediation skills for building and keeping franchise relations', date to be defined, together with the IBA Franchising Committee
• 'Commercial dispute resolution: the golden age of arbitration and mediation', date to be defined, together with the IBA Arbitration Committee ·
• 'Art disputes and mediation', date to be defined, together with the Art, Cultural Institutions and Heritage Law Committee​​​​​​

We trust that we will be able to meet again in-person at this year’s IBA Annual Conference in Miami from 30 October to 4 November 2022.

The IBA Mediation Committee will present the following sessions, focusing on sharing the best possible information on these topics with its members:

• As part of the Dispute Resolution Section’s joint session, 'Remote dispute resolution – a success?', Monday 31 October 2022, 09:30 - 10:45. Officers in charge: Mary Walker
• 'The psychology and practice of online mediation', Monday 31 October 2022, 11:15 - 12:30. Officers in charge: Ximena Bustamante, James Claxton, Zachary R Calo
• 'Ethics and guidelines or standards for mediation pursuant to the "Singapore Convention on Mediation" - an update', Tuesday 1 November 2022, 11:15 - 12:30. Officers in charge: Mary Walker, Tat Lim
• 'Dispute prevention – the emerging mechanisms', Wednesday 2 November 2022, 14:30 - 15:45. Officers in charge: Joan Stearns-Johnsen, Michael McIlwrath
• 'Commercial Cross-Border and Investor-State Mediation Update', Thursday 3 November 2022, 16:15 - 17:30, Officers in charge: Frauke Nitschke, Gary Birnberg, James Claxton.

We further wish to draw your attention to the Vienna 'IBA-VIAC CDRC MEDIATION AND NEGOTIATION COMPETITION' which took place from 16 July to 20 July 2022. The IBA Mediation Committee, with the support of the Vienna International Arbitration Centre, is one of the organisers of this important educational event which aims at improving the students’ knowledge and experience of mediation throughout the world. Check out the events and the streamed finals by visiting the competition website through our committee’s website.

We look forward to exchanging with our members on topics regarding mediation. Let’s stay in contact!

Best wishes,

Martin Hauser and Federico Antich