Industry experts have welcomed the senior judiciary’s decision to give the green light to compulsory mediation – but warned against trying to do it on the cheap.
The Civil Justice Council last week reported that mandatory ADR was compatible with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and therefore lawful. The report was commissioned by the master of the rolls, a keen advocate for ADR, and is likely to herald a major shift in dispute resolution.
Lady Justice Asplin, chair of the judicial/ADR liaison committee, said the report provides a chance to initiate a ‘change of culture’ in civil justice.