Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce is now providing a Business Dispute Resolution Service.
The aim of the new service is to help businesses resolve disputes without the cost and time of going to court.
The parties involved in the dispute meet with an accredited mediator, who leads the discussions to discover what the issues are and what the ideal outcomes are for both sides.
During the negotiations, the parties have control over the decision and the terms of the agreement. The mediator will explore the dispute impartially, but the result remains in the hands of the parties.
The mediation success rate stands at more than 80%, but even in those cases where decisions aren’t reached, the fact that in-depth discussions have already taken place can help further down the line.
The mediation sessions are held at the Chamber’s city centre offices, which are accredited by the Civil Mediation Council and provide the ideal setting for dispute resolution discussions.
Greater Manchester Chamber is also offering mediation training in partnership with the London School of Mediation as part of the Business Dispute Resolution Service.
The importance of mediation is shown in the key findings of the most recent bi-annual audit by the CEDR (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution):
- 10,000 commercial mediations were performed in 2016
- Excluding the distortions of mega-cases, the total value of mediated cases was approximately £10.5 billion
- Mediation saved £2.8 billion in wasted management time, lost productivity and legal fees.
- Mediators and service providers earned £22.6 million for their troubles
- Aggregated settlement success rate of around 86%
Visit www.gmchamber.co.uk/business-dispute-resolution for more information on the new service