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ADR and mediation integration into professional practice of judges

On May 19-21, 2010 the Scientific and Methodological Center for Mediation and Law with support of the Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Central Federal District and the Sub-Committee on ADR and mediation of the Russian Lawyers’ Association held a conference “The Role of the Judicial Society in ADR and Mediation Integration into the Legal Culture”. The event was held within the framework of the legal experiment on implementation of conciliation procedures which has been in the process of realization in the district since October 2009.

At the conference there was held a training for the judges of CFD “Judges as Referrers to Mediation. The Role of Mediation in Professional Practice of a Modern Judge” led by Mrs. Machteld Pel, the former vice-president of the Court of Appeal, a mediating judge and the leader of the court-annexed mediation project, the teacher of the National School of Judges (Netherlands).

The training was devoted to the referral of the parties to mediation as a means of dispute resolution, based on clarification of motives and exploration of interests of the disputants.

International Conference in Moscow

On May 29-30, 2009 the Scientific and Methodological Center for Mediation and Law hеld the International conference “Negotiation, Mediation and ADR in the System of Legal Education and Professional Development” in Moscow, Russia.

Several representatives of foreign educational institutions took part in the Conference, including Ms. Melissa Manwaring, a negotiation instructor at the F.W. Olin School of Business at Babson College and the former Director of Curriculum Development at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (USA), Mr. Fred Schonewille, a family mediator, lecturer and researcher at the Molengraaff Institute for Private Law of Utrecht University in Mediation, Divorce Law, Family Property Law and the Deontology of the Civil Law-Notary Profession (the Netherlands), and Mr. Moti Mironi, Professor of Law at Faculty of Law Haifa University (Israel). Their participation suggested exchange of existing experience of education in the sphere of alternative dispute resolution. The Conference enhanced unification of efforts made by leading high schools and educational institutions of Russian Federation with the aim to develop general strategy of ADR teaching and forming standards of education programs, which would help speed up the process of large-scale integration of pre-trial and out-of-court dispute resolution in the Russian Federation.

“Mediation as a Tool for Legal Culture Development”

On March 20, 2009 conference “Mediation as a Tool for Legal Culture Development” was held in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Issues of legal culture improvement and ADR development, mediation in particular, become more significant today in the light of legal system development in Russia. At the conference a workshop was held where Ms. Machteld Pel (Netherlands) shared her experience as a professional mediator on ADR practice in the Netherlands.

European Mediation Conference in Belfast

Almost ten years ago in Belfast, on Good Friday 1998, international mediators were acknowledged for their contribution to a milestone in the Northern Ireland peace process. Ten years later, on the anniversary of the Belfast Agreement, mediators from across Europe gathered in the city’s Waterfront Hall at the launch of the 2nd European Mediation Conference.
“Mediation in Resolution of Tax Disputes”
On April 10, 2009 the Scientific and Methodological Center for Mediation and Law held the International conference “Mediation in Resolution of Tax Disputes” in Moscow, Russia. The conference was held with the support of the Russian Association of Lawyers.

This conference was confined to changes in the Russian Federal Tax Law which entered into legal force since January 1, 2009. These changes create conditions for use of ADR in tax conflicts, mediation in particular. Integration of mediation into the system of tax disputes resolution will encourage decrease of claims, rise of the tax service authority and trust towards them from the taxpayers and the public’s side, as well as quality improvement in the work of the tax authorities.

The leader of the project “Mediation in fiscal law” “Belastingdienst” (Tax Service) of the Netherlands Mr. Valentijn M.M. Crijns and national coordinator in fiscal mediation of the Tax Service of the Netherlands Ms. Sabine Okma also participated in the Conference holding the workshop “Mediation in resolution of tax disputes. The method’s application practice in the Netherlands”. The workshop arouse lots of interest from the side of Russian jurists and encouraged a lively discussion where participants exchanged experience on conciliation and mediation practice within Tax Authorities in Russia and Netherlands.

International Conference on Mediation in Yekaterinburg

International Conference “Mediation as an alternative dispute resolution method. Russian and foreign regulation experience. Practical application” was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia on October 9-10, 2008. The Conference was organized by the Scientific and Methodological Center for Mediation and Law, the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation, Russian Lawyers’ Association and the Ural State Law Academy.
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2nd International Conference

On November 16-17, 2007, the 2nd International Conference «Mediation. Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods and their Relevance for Improving Business and Corporate Ethics» was held in the Conference Hall of the President Hotel in Moscow.
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