Most organisations meet disputes long before they meet a courtroom: a contractor claims for delay, a supplier disputes a deduction, a joint venture partner refuses to fund a cash call. How those disagreements are handled in the first weeks largely decides what they eventually cost. Choosing between negotiation, mediation, adjudication and arbitration, and then running the chosen route properly, has become a core commercial skill rather than a matter left entirely to external lawyers.

The Applied Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course is built around a single evolving dispute that participants carry through the week. They begin by mapping the parties' positions and interests and testing settlement options, then conduct a facilitated mediation with role players and record the outcome in writing. Attention then turns to arbitration: the notice and response, constitution of the tribunal, the first procedural conference, written submissions, evidence and the conduct of an oral hearing. The final stages look at drafting and challenging awards, costs, and taking an award to enforcement in another jurisdiction, along with dispute avoidance and adjudication boards on large projects.

Teaching is deliberately hands-on. Short framing talks are followed by drafting tasks, mock hearings, mediation rounds and debriefs in which participants receive specific feedback on their advocacy, questioning and written work, so that each person leaves with templates and checklists they have already used.

On completing the programme, participants will be able to:

• Analyse a commercial dispute to identify positions, interests, risks and the most suitable resolution route.
• Draft multi-tier dispute resolution clauses covering negotiation, mediation, adjudication and arbitration.
• Prepare for and conduct a facilitated mediation, including opening statements, caucuses and settlement drafting.
• Initiate an arbitration and manage the constitution of the tribunal and the first procedural conference.
• Organise documentary, witness and expert evidence in line with recognised international practice.
• Present and test evidence at an oral hearing through structured examination and cross-examination.
• Draft a reasoned award, or a critique of one, that addresses jurisdiction, merits, interest and costs.
• Evaluate the prospects of recognising and enforcing an award in a foreign jurisdiction.

Participants usually come from legal, commercial and project roles where disputes land on their desk, such as:

• In-house counsel and company secretaries
• Advocates and legal officers who represent clients in arbitration or mediation
• Contract and commercial managers in construction, energy and infrastructure
• Quantity surveyors and claims consultants preparing or defending claims
• Procurement and supply chain managers handling supplier disputes
• Human resource and employee relations officers dealing with workplace conflict
• Public sector legal and contract officers responsible for government contracts
• Practising or aspiring mediators and arbitrators building case experience

Each participant goes home with:

• A model multi-tier dispute resolution clause adapted to their own contracts.
• A dispute assessment template for choosing between negotiation, mediation, adjudication and arbitration.
• A mediation preparation brief and a drafted settlement agreement from the role play.
• A notice of arbitration and first procedural order prepared for the course case.
• A witness statement and cross-examination plan built from the case evidence.
• Individual feedback on their advocacy and questioning from the mock hearing.
• An enforcement checklist for taking an award to court in another country.

Learning happens by doing, using one dispute that develops from day to day. The approach includes:

• Brief framing talks on each stage of the process, tied to the course case
• Clause drafting clinics in which participants rewrite realistic contract provisions
• Mediation role plays with rotating mediator, party and observer roles
• A mock arbitral hearing with opening statements, witness examination and closing submissions
• Award-writing exercises followed by peer critique
• Structured debriefs giving individual feedback on advocacy and drafting

A CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy is awarded to participants who attend every session and take part in the mediation role play, the mock hearing and the drafting exercises.

The clauses, briefs and procedural documents produced during the week stay with each participant as a record of practical work.