Delegates will gain up to 11 hours CPD from a variety of sessions covering civil, commercial, workplace, SEND, community, academic and peer mediation, as well as taking a look at legal updates, mediation advocacy, mediation in clinical disputes and much more.
Conference Programme
Dealmaking vs Peacebuilding: The Transactional and the Sustainable – Peter Marsden
High-profile agreements, rapid-fire diplomacy and headline-grabbing accolades. Those taking a cursory glance at world events could be forgiven for feeling sceptical about the state of peacebuilding. This session invites you to consider the role of mediation and dialogue in delivering meaningful, lasting change.
7 October, 2.15 – 3.00pm
Overcoming Deadlock in Mediation: Tips and Techniques for the Mediator – Eve Pienaar
Delivered by experienced full time mediator and CMC Fellow, Eve Pienaar, this practical 30-minute session explores how the mediator can help parties overcome deadlock. Drawing on her experience of 20 years as a commercial mediator, Eve will share thoughts and tips on how to avoid deadlock and also what process or other interventions can help extricate parties from deadlock. Most mediations will encounter roadblocks on the day.
The skill of the mediator is keeping options open, a vision of a better future alive and identifying creative solutions to enable settlement. Eve will share some examples of what has worked to break deadlock, based on practical case studies from her experience as full-time commercial mediator.
7 October, 4.00 – 4.30pm
AI Panel – Julia Burns, …
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8 October, 2.45 – 3.30pm
Eve Pienaar
Eve is a highly regarded full-time commercial mediator, working across a range of commercial sectors including property and construction, professional negligence, intellectual property and general commercial such as shareholder disputes and insolvency. Eve has considerable experience of contentious probate cases, as well as workplace disputes and defamation claims. Eve is ranked as Tier 2 in Legal 500 and Band 2 with Chambers & Partners. She has mediated over 350 commercial cases and is regularly sought after for complex, high value or multi-party cases. She is a Fellow of the CMC and member of Lead Faculty member for CEDR. She also mediates for the ICC and LCIA. Eve is an IMI certified commercial mediator and a panel member of Equanim International.
Peter Marsden
Peter Marsden, CEO of Concordis International is a mediator and former public law solicitor. Nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, Concordis International and its network of over 650 local peacebuilders work largely out of the spotlight, focusing on long-term, locally led solutions. Their stories deserve to be heard. Join us to learn about the work of peacebuilders in Sudan, South Sudan and Central Africa, who are making a tangible difference at community level. Reducing violence, supporting livelihoods in fragile contexts, strengthening local institutions, and building resilience in the face of ongoing challenges.
Your Conference Hosts Audrey Dorival
Audrey Dorival helps education, health and social care professionals develop listening relationships with families to resolve conflicts. She is a CEDR and SEND accredited mediator. Audrey trained as a solicitor with City firm Eversheds and worked as a commercial litigator for several years before embarking on a new career. For two decades, Audrey managed the award-winning KIDS SEND Mediation Service. In addition to her mediation expertise, Audrey is a public speaker and freelance facilitator working regularly with the National Children’s Bureau and the Medical Mediation Foundation. Audrey sits on Mediation Panels with KIDS SEND Mediation Service and the Medical Mediation Foundation. She is a member of the CMC and College of Mediators SEND Assessor’s Panel, monitoring and reviewing mediation standards nationally.
and Joanna Gosling
TBC Joanna is a Senior Associate Mediator at Irwin Mitchell, the biggest all-service law firm in the UK. Joanna has a strong interest in relationship dynamics, communication, and navigating conflict, which is why she changed career after 30 years as one of the most experienced and best-known rolling news presenters broadcasting in the UK, leaving her role as BBC News Chief Anchor. Joanna also has her own show on Classic fm and is a contributor for the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph.
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Drinks & Networking for Conference Attendees!
All conference attendees are invited to attend a networking and drinks reception on the evening of 7 October. The event will start at 6.30pm after the conference day programme has ended.
This in-person event offers the opportunity to meet fellow attendees, engage with members of the CMC Board and executive team, and connect directly with some of the speakers. It’s a chance to continue the day’s discussions in a more relaxed setting—ideal for building relationships and expanding your professional network.
