In Part 2 of this special episode we are joined by Dr Georgina Tsagas, a UK Accredited Mediator and Consultant Solicitor in England & Wales, expert in company law and sustainability, based in London and working across Europe. Dr Tsagas gives a fascinating insight into the use of “mediation” as an alternative legal route to settling disputes. We discuss what mediation is (and isn’t), why clients use this dispute resolution method, the skills needed, and some practical examples of disputes where mediation has been used.

In Part 2 of this special episode we are joined by Dr Georgina Tsagas, founder of GT Mediation | Dispute Resolution and a UK Accredited Mediator and Consultant Solicitor in England & Wales, expert in company law and sustainability, based in London and working across Europe.

We hear how mediation works practically, from evidence gathering to negotiation and closure, and also how “mediator advocates” can be involved in a mediation process (in addition to the mediators themselves).

The skills needed for mediation are explored, and Dr Tsagas offers advice on avenues that can help you build those skills and how to build a career path in this area, including how much experience is often needed to gain such roles.

Finally, some practical examples are given of cases and types of disputes where mediation can be used successfully, ranging from family business disputes to high-stakes commercial negotiations or international conflicts

Actions and resources for listeners:
· Read the article ‘The Psychology of Resolution: The art of tackling 'Cognitive Dissonance' in the “Conflict No More” Newsletter by GT Mediation | Dispute Resolution. Which skills as a lawyer do you think will be particularly key in this specific situation?
· Think about the use of mediation discussed in the episode: research, and then make a list of key reasons why you think it is a particularly useful way to settle a Workplace Conflict dispute between a Manager and a Team Member? For an example of a Workplace Dispute Read ‘Work-Place Bullying: How to spot it, its connection to the S of ESG and what to do about it?’ in the “Conflict No More” Newsletter by GT Mediation | Dispute Resolution.

In this special 2 part episode, we are joined by Dr Georgina Tsagas, a UK Accredited Mediator and Consultant Solicitor in England & Wales, expert in company law and sustainability, based in London and working across Europe. Dr Tsagas gives a fascinating insight into the use of “mediation” as an alternative legal route to settling disputes. We discuss what mediation is (and isn’t), why clients use this dispute resolution method, the skills needed, and some practical examples of disputes where mediation has been used.

In this special episode we are joined by Dr Georgina Tsagas, founder of GT Mediation | Dispute Resolution and a UK Accredited Mediator and Consultant Solicitor in England & Wales, expert in company law and sustainability, based in London and working across Europe. Dr Tsagas gives a fascinating insight into the use of “mediation” as an alternative legal route to settling disputes.

We discuss what mediation is (and isn’t), why clients use this dispute resolution method, the skills needed, and some practical examples of disputes where mediation has been used. The episode also explains how mediation is different to other ways to settle disputes, such as arbitration and litigation, including how mediation is linked to the court process in different countries, or is separate from the courts.

Dr Tsagas gives examples of how different jurisdictions have encouraged people to use mediation to settle disputes, and also explains the benefits, ranging from speed of settling a dispute, to confidentiality, and a route which offers greater flexibility than a formal court process. We hear how mediation works practically, from evidence gathering to negotiation and closure, and also how “mediator advocates” can be involved in a mediation process (in addition to the mediators themselves).

The skills needed for mediation are explored, and Dr Tsagas offers advice on avenues that can help you build those skills and how to build a career path in this area, including how much experience is often needed to gain such roles. Finally, some practical examples are given of cases and types of disputes where mediation can be used successfully, ranging from family business disputes to high-stakes commercial negotiations or international conflicts.

Actions and resources for listeners:

· Read the article ‘The Psychology of Resolution: The art of tackling 'Cognitive Dissonance' in the “Conflict No More” Newsletter by GT Mediation | Dispute Resolution. Which skills as a lawyer do you think will be particularly key in this specific situation?
· Think about the use of mediation discussed in the episode: research, and then make a list of key reasons why you think it is a particularly useful way to settle a Workplace Conflict dispute between a Manager and a Team Member? For an example of a Workplace Dispute Read ‘Work-Place Bullying: How to spot it, its connection to the S of ESG and what to do about it?’ in the “Conflict No More” Newsletter by GT Mediation | Dispute Resolution.

This episode welcomes Linden Thomas (University of Birmingham) and John Lunney (Law Society of Ireland) to talk us through Public Legal Education and how lawyers can have a big impact in helping the public to improve their legal literacy.

The public are all bound by the law but many individuals and groups do not know how the law impacts them and interacts with their every day life. Public Legal Education seeks to help the public improve their knowledge of, and confidence with the law, rather than providing specific advice on a specific issue.

This episode explores the detail of this important movement as well as delving into a subsection of public legal education – Street Law. We always encourage listeners to undertake practical actions after listening to the episode.
- Look at the Moocs hosted by the Law Society of Ireland https://www.lawsociety.ie/mooc
- Explore the Young Citizen’s website https://www.youngcitizens.org/

Useful resources
- Definition of Public Legal Education on the Law Society Website. https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/campaigns/public-legal-education
- Dr Sean Arthur’s article: Street Law: Creating Tomorrow’s Citizens Today https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/lewclr19&div=41&g_sent=1&casa_token=zXZmYC7dKX0AAAAA:EfE1sg9Rvwka1t0VlvUWz-okEwQjjMv-KNX2liZzIAFZlvR74Mzes39cjR1IT1mJvyvXx6vY&collection=journals
- The Kids Aren’t Alright: The 4 Factors Driving a Dangerous Detachment from Democracy. https://www.ukonward.com/reports/the-kids-arent-alright-democracy/
- Street Law Inc. https://streetlaw.org/