Lucy Chakaodza explains how legal professionals can expand their skills & choices through ADR training
Judicial methods of determining disputes has long been the orthodox method of resolving conflict in western society with dispute resolution processes such as mediation, arbitration and conciliation being labelled as ‘alternative’.
Nevertheless, the growth in the training and provision of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods to resolve conflicts by a number of professional bodies and institutions has led to widespread use by practitioners in a variety of disciplines including lawyers.
Lawyers can play a key role when resolving a conflict using alternative dispute resolution processes. For any lawyer seeking to embark on formal construction adjudication or arbitration training, the climate is certainly favourable, if not competitive.
Training is available from a number of professional bodies and institutes. The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) enables those undertaking courses to not only gain a valuable qualification that complements their existing legal skills, but to experience the benefits of becoming a CIArb member.
Dennis Fry, Domestic and International Arbitration Course Director at CIArb, says: “The Accelerated Routes to Membership and Fellowship programmes are