Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution

Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
Name	Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
Abbreviation	CEDR
Formation	1990
Type	Non-profit organisation
Headquarters	London
Region served	International
Leader title	Chief Executive
Leader name	Roger Harman

Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution is an independent dispute resolution institution based in London that provides mediation, arbitration, training, and research services. It operates alongside international organizations and legal institutions, engaging with courts, corporations, regulatory bodies, and civil society to promote alternative dispute resolution methods. The organisation is active across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, collaborating with judicial networks, arbitration centres, law firms, and university law faculties.

History

Founded in 1990, the organisation emerged contemporaneously with reforms in Lord Woolf-influenced civil procedure discussions, the advent of the European Convention on Human Rights jurisprudence expansion, and growing interest in mediation after developments such as the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 and comparative models from United States courts. Early collaborations involved legal practitioners from London School of Economics, judges from the High Court of Justice, and academics from King's College London. Over subsequent decades it engaged with initiatives linked to the European Union, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, and the World Bank focusing on dispute resolution policy, echoing themes from the Good Friday Agreement peacebuilding dialogues, commercial arbitration dialogues exemplified by the International Chamber of Commerce, and public sector reform projects influenced by the OECD.

Mission and Objectives

The organisation's mission emphasizes access to impartial dispute resolution mechanisms consistent with standards advanced by bodies such as the International Bar Association, the Law Society of England and Wales, and the Bar Council. Objectives include promoting mediation practices aligned with protocols used by the European Court of Human Rights, enhancing professional training akin to programmes at Harvard Law School and Yale Law School, and influencing policy debates involving entities like the Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom), the European Commission, and national judiciaries such as the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. It seeks to integrate dispute resolution into regulatory frameworks informed by the Financial Conduct Authority, procurement regimes referenced by the United Nations and standards employed by the International Labour Organization.

Services and Programs

The organisation provides mediation and arbitration services comparable to those offered by the London Court of International Arbitration and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, alongside bespoke training programmes inspired by curricula at Oxford University and the University of Cambridge. Services include commercial mediation for corporations such as multinational firms engaged with Siemens, BP, Shell, and Unilever; workplace mediation for entities like the National Health Service and local authorities modeled on practices in New York City agencies; family and community dispute initiatives patterned on projects in South Africa and Canada; and public policy mediation with government departments comparable to collaborations involving the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Programmes extend to online dispute resolution platforms akin to systems piloted by the World Bank Group and pilot schemes coordinated with arbitration institutions such as the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.

Organizational Structure and Governance

Governance comprises a board of directors and an executive team drawing on experience from institutions including the Civil Service, the Judicial Appointments Commission, multinational law firms such as Clifford Chance and Linklaters, and academic posts at London School of Economics and King's College London. Advisory panels have included former judges from the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), arbitrators registered with the International Council for Commercial Arbitration, and dispute resolution scholars affiliated with Columbia Law School and Georgetown University Law Center. Internal departments mirror structures found in non-profits working alongside public bodies like the Cabinet Office and international actors such as the United Nations Development Programme.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have included charitable trusts similar to the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, corporate donations from multinational companies like Microsoft and GlaxoSmithKline, grants from institutions such as the European Commission and philanthropic foundations connected to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation models, and project funding aligned with Asian Development Bank and African Development Bank initiatives. Strategic partnerships have been formed with arbitration and mediation centres including the International Chamber of Commerce, the ICC International Court of Arbitration, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, and university law clinics at University of Toronto and University of Melbourne.

Impact and Evaluation

Impact assessments have been undertaken using metrics similar to those adopted by the World Bank and OECD for project evaluation, with external evaluations commissioned by funders such as the European Commission and independent reviewers from think tanks like the Institute for Government and Chatham House. Reported outcomes include settlement rates comparable with statistics from the International Bar Association and cost-savings analyses resonant with findings published by the Law Society of England and Wales. The organisation's training alumni have advanced to roles in courts, law firms, corporate legal departments, and international organisations, paralleling career trajectories seen among graduates of programmes at Harvard Law School and Yale Law School.

Notable Cases and Contributions

Contributions include facilitation of high-profile mediations and policy dialogues involving stakeholders such as national regulators exemplified by the Financial Conduct Authority and state-owned enterprises similar to EDF and BP. The organisation has participated in multi-party mediations reminiscent of those in the Northern Ireland peace process and commercial disputes with cross-border elements like cases handled at the London Court of International Arbitration and the ICC International Court of Arbitration. Academic outputs and training materials have been cited by scholars at Oxford University Press and used in curricula at King's College London and London School of Economics.

Category:Dispute resolution organizations