Legal departments interested in using alternative dispute resolution in Europe just got a new a tool from the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR). The European Mediation and ADR Guide, developed with the leadership of CPR’s European Advisory Board, seeks to help companies and firms take advantage of ADR practices that can make settling disputes quicker and less costly.
The guide starts off with an overview of ADR processes and a guide to clauses that counsel can add to contracts to get parties to ADR. Much of the document is devoted to mediation. “We had a lot of interest from our members, especially in Europe, to have a very practice-oriented guide that they could refer to, particularly focused on mediation, which is really growing in prevalence in Europe,” says Noah Hanft, president and CEO of CPR. A mediation directive from the European Union that encourages use of this ADR method, Hanft adds, has helped fuel interest in the region.