In many cases much harm and sorrow is caused first before people sit down and settle. Why not settle without fighting first?

Often being ‘the only woman in the room’, in this opinion Judith Meyer describes her concern about the underrepresentation of women, persons with disabilities, diverse neutrals and other minorities as professionals in alternative dispute resolution.

Abstract: In this publication the author discusses first whether mediation agreements qualify as irrevocable agreements or whether the parties are free to disregard a mediation agreement when a dispute arises. Secondly, the author discusses whether, and if yes under what conditions, settlement agreements resulting from mediation can be enforced. In this respect, the Singapore Convention on International Settlement Agreements resulting from Mediation is also addressed.

To analyse the advantages of mediation as a means of resolution of private competition disputes, it is helpful to look backwards to the underlying principles upon which modern mediation has been built. The principles that now guide leading mediation institutions in Europe are still based on the foundation that was laid by the methods of principles negotiations, written down in Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In, by Fisher and Ury.