Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course in Johannesburg, South Africa
Classroom training in Johannesburg · next cohort Nov 2, 2026 · from USD 3,400
Commercial disputes drain time, relationships and money long before a ruling arrives. Choosing the right forum, and managing the process well, often decides whether a business recovers its losses or simply adds legal costs. This five-day programme shows how to move a dispute from first notice to settlement or award with discipline. You study negotiation, conciliation, mediation, expert determination, adjudication and arbitration side by side, then practise drafting multi-tier dispute clauses, selecting arbitrators, preparing pleadings and evidence, and managing hearings. Sessions explain institutional and ad hoc arbitration rules, interim measures, costs, and the principles behind enforcing awards across borders.
Mediation receives equal attention, with practice in opening statements, caucusing, reality testing and drafting settlement agreements. Case files come from construction, procurement, energy, employment and supply contracts. The audience includes in-house counsel, contract managers, procurement and project professionals, legal officers in government and NGOs, and advocates building an alternative dispute resolution practice. Delivered in the classroom, online or in-house, the course ends with a CPD-accredited certificate. Afterwards you can advise on the best route for a dispute, prepare your side for it and negotiate from an informed position.
At a Glance
Training in Johannesburg, South Africa
Johannesburg is South Africa's economic heart, home to the JSE and the head offices of Africa's largest companies.
More about training in Johannesburg →- Format
- Classroom, in Johannesburg
- Duration
- Mon - Fri (5 Days)
- Fee
- USD 3,400
- Next start dates
- Nov 2, 2026, Nov 30, 2026, Dec 28, 2026
- Certificate
- Certificate of Completion
- Airport
- O.R. Tambo International (JNB)
- Time zone
- South Africa Standard Time (UTC+2)
- Currency
- South African rand (ZAR). Fees are listed in USD.
- Business districts
- Sandton, Rosebank and Midrand
About this course
Every long-term contract carries the possibility of disagreement over payment, delay, quality, scope or termination. Courts in many jurisdictions are slow and public, and organisations increasingly write arbitration, mediation or adjudication into their agreements to keep disputes private, faster and more predictable. The difference between a clause that works and one that causes a second dispute about procedure is often a few carefully chosen words.
This course surveys the full range of dispute resolution options and teaches participants how to select, prepare and run each of them. It begins with the anatomy of a dispute and the commercial logic of early resolution, then covers negotiation strategy, mediation technique and the arbitration process from notice of arbitration to final award. Participants examine arbitration agreements, governing law and seat, appointment and challenge of arbitrators, document production, witness and expert evidence, interim relief, costs and enforcement. They also look at adjudication in construction settings and the role of dispute boards.
Sessions combine short legal inputs with simulations in which participants take the roles of party representatives, mediator and tribunal. The course concludes with a complete case exercise so that participants leave ready to advise, prepare or take part in real proceedings with confidence.
Training Objectives
After completing the course, participants will be able to:
- Compare negotiation, mediation, conciliation, adjudication and arbitration and choose between them.
- Draft clear multi-tier dispute resolution clauses with seat, rules, language and governing law.
- Prepare a notice of dispute, statement of case and supporting evidence bundle.
- Evaluate the strengths, risks and costs of a claim before deciding to proceed.
- Apply mediation techniques to open discussion, manage emotion and reach agreement.
- Describe how arbitral tribunals are formed, conduct hearings and issue awards.
- Explain the principles of enforcing and challenging awards and settlement agreements.
- Draft settlement terms that are enforceable and leave relationships workable.
What you'll learn
Key Takeaways
Participants take away practical resources, such as:
- A model multi-tier dispute resolution clause with drafting notes.
- A decision guide for selecting the right forum for a given dispute.
- A case preparation checklist covering pleadings, evidence and witnesses.
- A mediation toolkit with session structure and negotiation prompts.
- A settlement agreement outline that addresses payment, confidentiality and enforcement.
- Experience of acting as party, mediator and tribunal in simulated proceedings.
Training Methodology
Learning is drawn from practice rather than theory alone. The methods used are:
- Concise legal and procedural briefings with worked examples
- Role-play simulations of negotiation, mediation and tribunal hearings
- Clause drafting workshops using flawed real-world wording
- Anonymised case files from construction, procurement and employment disputes
- Feedback from facilitators on advocacy, questioning and negotiation style
Day 1: Understanding Disputes and Choosing a Route
- Why commercial disputes arise and how they escalate
- The spectrum from negotiation to litigation
- Litigation compared with arbitration and mediation
- Confidentiality, cost, speed and enforceability as selection factors
- Early case assessment and risk evaluation
- Exercise: matching five disputes to the best resolution route
Day 2: Dispute Clauses and Negotiation
- Drafting arbitration agreements and avoiding pathological clauses
- Multi-tier clauses: negotiation, mediation, then arbitration
- Governing law, seat, language and number of arbitrators
- Interest-based negotiation and BATNA analysis
- Managing difficult counterparts and deadlocks
- Exercise: redrafting a defective clause
Day 3: Mediation in Practice
- The mediator's role and the stages of a mediation
- Opening statements and joint sessions
- Private caucus, reality testing and option generation
- Working with emotion, power imbalance and cultural context
- Drafting and signing a settlement agreement
- Simulation: a construction payment dispute mediation
Day 4: Arbitration Procedure
- Institutional and ad hoc arbitration rules
- Commencing arbitration and constituting the tribunal
- Pleadings, document production and evidence
- Expert witnesses, interim measures and emergency relief
- Hearing preparation and cross-examination basics
- Exercise: preparing a statement of claim and defence outline
Day 5: Awards, Enforcement and Settlement
- Content and finality of arbitral awards
- Recognition, enforcement and grounds for challenge
- Costs allocation and funding of proceedings
- Adjudication and dispute boards in construction projects
- Building an organisational dispute management policy
- Capstone simulation: negotiation, mediation and hearing in one case
The programme is intended for people who draft, manage or resolve contract disputes, including:
- In-house counsel and legal officers
- Contract managers and contract administrators
- Procurement and supply chain managers
- Project managers and quantity surveyors in construction and engineering
- Advocates and legal practitioners entering arbitration and mediation work
- Human resource professionals handling employment disputes
- Legal and compliance staff in government agencies and state corporations
- Claims managers in insurance and banking
- Programme staff in NGOs who manage partner and vendor agreements
On attending the full programme and completing the simulations and drafting exercises, participants receive a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion from Vision Reach Global Consultancy. It documents training in dispute resolution and does not by itself qualify the holder as an arbitrator or mediator.
Choose Where You Want to Learn
Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course Venues
South AfricaJohannesburgNext Nov 2· 13 dates$3,400Viewing- South AfricaPretoriaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$3,200
- South AfricaCape TownNext Oct 26· 13 dates$3,800
KenyaNairobiNext Nov 9· 13 dates$1,500- KenyaMombasaNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,600
- KenyaNaivashaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,500
- KenyaKisumuNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,500
- KenyaMachakosNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,600
UgandaKampalaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,900
RwandaKigaliNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,900
TanzaniaArushaNext Nov 9· 13 dates$1,900- TanzaniaDodomaNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,800
- TanzaniaDar es SalaamNext Oct 26· 13 dates$2,000
- TanzaniaZanzibarNext Nov 16· 13 dates$2,600
NigeriaLagosNext Nov 16· 13 dates$2,800- NigeriaAbujaNext Nov 9· 13 dates$2,800
UAEDubaiNext Oct 26· 13 dates$3,800
GhanaAccraNext Nov 16· 13 dates$4,500
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Frequently Asked Questions About Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course in Johannesburg
Everything you need to know about this course before you register.
Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course runs as classroom training in Johannesburg, South Africa, in Monday-to-Friday cohorts that start every four weeks. The venue, daily timings and joining details are sent in your Joining Instructions email ahead of the start date.
The next Johannesburg cohort starts on November 2, 2026, and a new intake follows every four weeks. Pick a date under "Upcoming sessions in Johannesburg" above and click Register; your seat is confirmed once payment or a signed purchase order is received.
The classroom fee for Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course in Johannesburg is USD 3,400 per delegate, covering tuition and course materials. Register 3 or more delegates together and a 5% team discount is applied automatically.
Yes. Besides Johannesburg, Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course runs as classroom training in Pretoria and Cape Town. It also runs as live online training you can join from anywhere in South Africa, and in-house at your organisation's own premises.
Yes — Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course can be delivered at your offices in Johannesburg or at a venue you choose, on dates that suit your team, with case studies tailored to your sector. Message our training advisors to request a proposal.
By the end of the Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution programme, you'll be able to compare negotiation, mediation, conciliation, adjudication and arbitration and choose between them, draft clear multi-tier dispute resolution clauses with seat, rules, language and governing law, prepare a notice of dispute, statement of case and supporting evidence bundle, and evaluate the strengths, risks and costs of a claim before deciding to proceed. The full breakdown of topics is covered session by session in the Course Outline tab above.
The programme is intended for people who draft, manage or resolve contract disputes, including: In-house counsel and legal officers, Contract managers and contract administrators, Procurement and supply chain managers, Project managers and quantity surveyors in construction and engineering, Advocates and legal practitioners entering arbitration and mediation work, Human resource professionals handling employment disputes, Legal and compliance staff in government agencies and state corporations, Claims managers in insurance and banking, and Programme staff in NGOs who manage partner and vendor agreements.
Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course typically runs as 5 Days. It's available as in-person classroom, live virtual, and in-house corporate training — every course can also be delivered on-site for your team on dates that suit you.
Yes — delegates who meet the attendance requirement receive a Certificate of Completion for Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course from Vision Reach Global Consultancy, issued in the name you register with, so double-check the spelling at checkout.
Best Practices in Arbitration, Mediation & Dispute Resolution Training Course is pitched at intermediate professionals. If you're unsure whether it's the right fit for your current role or background, message our training advisors before you register and they'll help you confirm.
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