Session details

With advances in technology and an increasingly digitalising society, the mode of resolving disputes is about to undergo radical change. Dispute resolution at the speed of thought in real time across the internet is poised to be the next step. Corporations, consumers and legal service providers have expectations to be able to minimise costs with resolution of disputes 24/7, 365 days of the year from their smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs. Also, electronic transactions as a matter of course span across the globe and disputants are unwilling to sort out complex issues of jurisdiction every time a problem crops up. Online dispute resolution (ODR) is the way forward. Mediation, which is the fastest process of dispute resolution so far, may have a role to play as ODR catches up with mediation. Is there room for mediation and negotiation to interplay with and leverage electronic applications of information and communications technology involving dispute resolution? The session aims to address the future of law and mediation, in particular as it explores the cutting-edge systems available online today and those that will become available tomorrow, as well as exploring how ODR can move us closer to a world where disputants have access to fast and fair resolutions any time, any place.