Mediation has become a valuable tool for Scottish lawyers and organisations as people increasingly look to settle their differences outside the courtroom. Simpson & Marwick is celebrating the continued growth of mediation by supporting an innovative new category at The Law Awards of Scotland 2008.

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In another first for the Law Awards of Scotland 2008, in association with Registers of Scotland, Scottish mediators are set to be recognised and celebrated with the introduction of a new category, Mediator of the Year 2008, which is being supported by Simpson & Marwick.

In recent years the use of mediation has become an integral part of the dispute resolution process and more law firms and lawyers are offering mediation to clients as an effective and often less stressful and time consuming solution to commercial disputes. Also, private and public sector in-house departments are also seeing the benefits of investing in mediation and are enjoying the  cost and time savings that finding a mutually satisfactory solution can offer.

Likewise, as the popularity of mediation has grown so has the number of accredited mediators now practising in Scotland.
The Mediator of the Year category aims to give those operating in the rapidly growing field of mediation the opportunity to show just what they are capable of in terms of finding workable solutions to commercial and civil disputes, the skills in negotiation that they can bring to dispute resolution and the increasing training and accreditation that is being developed both in Scotland, across the UK and globally.

All nominated mediators will be invited to submit a report for a special judging panel to consider under the following criteria:

• Practical and innovative approaches to delivering solutions
• Negotiation skills and ability
• Ability to exceed client expectations
• Professional achievements in the past year
• Professional qualifications and accreditations

To nominate the person that you think should be named Mediator of the Year, please email their name, company or organisation details along with the reason why you think they deserve this award to richard.draycott@carnyx.com.


"Mediation has only recently earned its spurs in the dispute resolution stable. At Simpson & Marwick we recognise its virtues - its simplicity, informality, flexibility, and economy. We are therefore one of the front-runners in promoting the successful use of mediation in Scotland. At Simpson & Marwick we are very enthusiastic about mediation. So enthusiastic, in fact, that we have sponsored this new award.

"A good mediator is rare, as a combination of exceptional interpersonal skills, intelligence and empathy is required, to say nothing of professionalism, training, patience and optimism. An exceptional mediator is rarer still. This award seeks to recognise such a talent, and celebrate both the success of the individual practitioner and the results they have achieved.

"Through this award, Simpson & Marwick seek to encourage more talented professionals to embrace mediation as a means of dispute resolution, and to promote excellence in mediation practice."

Simpson & Marwick, sponsors of Mediator of The Year 2008