The Civil Justice Council working group on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) published its final report in December 2018. The report clearly endorses the use of ADR and in particular mediation. In fact the interim report called mediation, “The pre‐eminent non‐adjudicative dispute resolution process conducted in parallel with litigation” and the working group found no cause to alter their position on this in their final report.
The report highlights three key areas to address:
– The awareness of ADR, both in the general public and in the professions and on the Bench;
– The availability of ADR, both in terms of funding and logistics and in terms of quality and regulation of the professionals involved;
– The encouragement of ADR by the Government and Courts.
The report makes 24 recommendations identifying options and next steps with the aim of addressing the three key areas above. The report is an encouraging read for all in the ADR community.