March 2006: CIArb and City Disputes Panel join forces

Two of the UK's leading providers of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services, The City Disputes Panel and The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, have entered into a co-operation agreement to pool resources and provide education and training in arbitration, mediation and other forms of ADR.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two charitable organisations will exchange know-how and will be able to refer requests for ADR services to each other, provide each other with administrative support and pool resources in providing suitable arbitrators, mediators, conciliators and other experts. Both the CDP and the Chartered Institute offer a complete range of techniques for dispute resolution and they will share the costs of promoting all forms of ADR.

Allan Connarty, Director of Operations at The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, said, There are significant synergies in the fundamental objectives of both charities and we are both committed to providing low cost models of dispute resolution that are accessible on a transparent basis. Joining forces with the CDP will allow us to create a better package for the users of commercial ADR backed by high professional practice standards and a charter that obliges us to maintain those standards for the general public good.

Karl Davies, Chief Executive of The City Disputes Panel, said ?The CDP has been a provider of effective alternatives to litigation with a focus on the financial sector and commerce since 1994. Combining resources with the Chartered Institute will allow us more effectively to increase awareness of the enormous benefits of mediation and other forms of ADR and to offer our expertise to a wider business community. The CDP will also benefit greatly from the Chartered Institute's strong international reach.

Davies added, ?Our shared aim is simple: to provide a full choice of ADR services with integrity and openness that are beneficial and effective for the widest possible range of users.

The agreement, which takes effect immediately, is for an initial period of three years. The City Disputes Panel will move out of its offices in Fleet Street and relocate to the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Bloomsbury Square, the Chartered Institute's headquarters.