Credentials

Mediation Experience

Arbitration
Banking
Construction
Employment
General Commercial
International
Multi-Party
Partnership

Personal Injury
Planning
Probate
Property
Public Sector
Shareholder Disputes
Time-Limited Mediation

Mediation Panel Memberships
Education
Professional Qualifications
Legal Career

Mediation Experience
An independent experienced commercial mediator and project neutral with training from Resolution Resources Inc, Atlanta, U.S.A and CEDR. Hardworking, energetic and optimistic. Prepares thoroughly and helps with pre-mediation case management and process design. Always looking for favourable outcomes. Cases he has mediated include the following:

Arbitration

• Solicitors Partnership dispute seeking a just and equitable winding up.

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Banking

• Lender/ borrower dispute involving allegations of security being sold at an undervalue.
• Claims of negligence misrepresentation against lender.
• Claim by a Judgment Creditor (with a Third Party Payment Order against a Bank’s customer) against a Bank seeking priority over the Bank’s rights of set-off.

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Construction

• Breach of contract /negligence dispute between specialist sub contractor and contractor concerning ground conditions and remedial work; involved three parties and their respective insurers. The case involved extensive pre- mediation process management.
• Extensive pre- mediation design and management and mediation of multi party breach of contract and related professional negligence claim in the building materials supplies sector.

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Employment

• Sexual harassment allegations between corporate and former employee.
• Franchisee dispute with Motoring organisation.
• Race discrimination claim between teacher and school.
• Race Discrimination claim to force an association to change its constitution.

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General Commercial

• Food retailer/wholesaler dispute involving discounts claim and counterclaim.
• Dispute involving delayed supply of building materials leading to claims for loss and expense.
• Dispute involving a damages claim by a motor manufacturer and its specialist design contractor.
• Two mediations involving recruitment agencies and their clients.
• Multiparty dispute involving the acquisition of a financial services company concerning claims for misrepresentation and cross claims for breach of warranties.
• Diamond Merchant claim against retailer for outstanding purchases. 

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International

• International dispute in Atlanta, USA between joint venture conference centres partners concerning the future of their programme.
• Long-term license contract concerning the development and distribution of cosmetics.
• Long term license in the retail / fashion sector involving the cost of developing of products and termination of the contract.

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Multi-Party

• Has acted as mediator in concert with a co-mediator on three occasions when dealing with multi-party disputes.
• Personal Injury claim involving half a million pounds worth of damages and a claim against the County Council, a Grant Maintained School and a sports teacher.

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Partnership

• Two trade partnership disputes.
• Partnership bust up between partners in niche City law firm.
• Contractual dispute involving a developer and marine contracting.
• City law firm claim for fees in fund raising exercise for clients involving professional conduct and cost assessment issues.

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Personal Injury

• Two personal injury negligent driving damages claims involving disputes over liability and
  quantum.

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Planning

• Four party dispute including an action group involving planning guidelines and the location of a mobile telephone mast.
• Enforcement proceedings and professional negligence involving landowner/developer, their architect and the local planning authority.

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Probate

• Contest between siblings and beneficiaries of the deceased and dispute over the validity of the will and the distribution of the estate.
• Constructive trust based on proprietary estoppel claim by wife of decease against former partner seeking declaration of the trust and equity split or a share in the sale proceeds.

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Property

• Two boundary disputes one involving professional negligence.
• Injunction/ Damages claim concerning a party wall.
• Negligent misrepresentation business interruption dispute concerning planning issues, landowner, surveyors and solicitors and the delay in the extraction of minerals.

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Public Sector

• Breach of contract /negligence /misfeasance dispute involving local authority and four other parties.
• Four party dispute between   local authority employer, contractor, sub-contractor and specialist sub-contractor involving the refurbishment of one and supply of two new main heating boilers providing hot water and heating to some two thousand residents of a housing estate.
• Four party dispute concerning teacher training between trainee teacher, University, School and Local Authority.

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Shareholder Disputes

• Section 459 Companies Act 1985 allegations of unfair prejudice against members of a private company and disputes over share valuation.
• Family company dispute.

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Time-Limited Mediation

• Conducts on average two time-limited mediations per month.

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Mediation Panel Memberships

• The Law Society Civil and Commercial Mediation Panel.
• Court of Appeal Mediation Panel.
• Central London Civil Justice Centre.
• Birmingham Civil Justice Centre.
• The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Mediation Panel.
• Guildford County Court Mediation Scheme
• The Association of Midland Mediators.

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Education

Educated at The Oratory School, Oxfordshire. Obtained a Degree in Law and American Studies from Keele University, Staffordshire, a Masters Degree in Construction Law and Arbitration from King’s College, University of London and Law Society Professional qualifications from The College of Law, Guildford, Surrey.

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Professional Qualifications

Admitted as Solicitor to the Supreme Court of Judicature in 1982. Registered by CEDR as a Mediator 1999.  Obtained membership of the Insolvency Lawyers Association in1998 and of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in1999.

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Legal Career

An experienced contentious business lawyer and resolution consultant. He has a wide understanding of the legal market place and legal expertise in alternative dispute resolution processes, and experience of disputes involving construction law, professional partnerships, pre-emptive remedies, shareholder disputes, solicitors and insolvency office- holders remuneration. Regarded by Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession as an expert in alternative dispute resolution process.

1982 Article with Ward Bowie Solicitors.

1985 Assistant Solicitor with Durrant Piesse and Berrymans.

1990 established a Banking and Insolvency Department as a Partner at national law firm Shoosmiths.

2002 worked as in-house dispute resolution adviser to an international construction materials group.

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