THE new head of one of Cheshire’s longest-established law firms is launching a drive to encourage more people to try mediation instead of rushing to court to resolve a dispute.
Mediation can be much cheaper than a court battle, said Walker Smith Way senior partner Brian Dawson
He said not enough people know that mediation is an option for both personal matters, such as a dispute with the builder installing your new kitchen, and business disputes, such as a disagreement between two companies over a commercial contract.
A specialist in personal injury and clinical negligence, who is also a deputy district judge, Brian is an accredited mediator.
He said: “You appoint a mediator to help the parties look at the problem from both sides and come up with a solution that is acceptable. Use of mediation is well-known for divorce and childcare arrangements, but people also need to know it can be used for any other kind of dispute.
“It’s quicker, cheaper and quite often more effective than litigation.
Nationally, 75 per cent of cases are resolved using mediation. In my experience, 80 to 85 per cent of cases have been settled in this way.”
The drive is one of several initiatives following a reorganisation and announcement of a new senior management team at Walker Smith Way which now has 28 partners and 127 other staff.
Brian’s colleagues on the new senior management team are Gareth Humphreys, Angela Woods, Neil Turnbull and Huw Davies.
