England - London • Dispute resolution
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Mediators

IPOS Mediation

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Mark Jackson-Stops – IPOS Mediation  IPOS Mediation's chambers leader Mark Jackson-Stops is 'very calm, collected and personable. He makes the client feel like their views are being heard, but also seeks to explain the other side’s point of view. He works hard during a mediation to bring about a commercial settlement'. Mediating over 1800 cases to date, Jackson-Stops is a go-to mediator for professional negligence, property and construction disputes. He also handles claims concerning insurance, financial services, commercial contracts, and probate and inheritance. Recent matters include a construction claim by the owner of a high-value residential property against a developer, in relation to the leaking basement of a newly-built house; and a professional negligence claim against a solicitor firm for losing the opportunity to bring a personal injury claim.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Lawyers

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Amanda Bucklow
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
Amanda has maintained a full-time independent dispute resolution practice since 1991 and was accredited as a commercial mediator in 1996. She is one of the first career mediators to practise in the UK and she has a significant portfolio of mediated disputes across a range of industry sectors and legal contexts. Her personal style is to focus on generating good decisions and she has an enviable record of accomplishment as a catalyst for reaching agreement between even the most ‘individual’ of individuals. Parties frequently remark how much they appreciate the time and effort Amanda invests in helping the parties prepare for negotiation. She speaks with everyone before the mediation day so they are comfortable that they have someone who understands their goals and interests. This helps enormously with the use of time on the day. They also remark on her commercial flair, creative input and persistence in finding a resolution with a persuasive yet non-confrontational style.
Michael Cover
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
Michael Cover has been a full time mediator since 2008. He was accredited as a mediator by CEDR in 2002 and now practises full-time as an independent mediator and arbitrator. He is a Barrister, Accredited Mediator and Chartered Arbitrator. He has been involved in around 260 mediations. He is a member of the mediation panels of many of the leading UK and international institutions. He has recently been trained as an Investor State mediator with ICSID (the World Bank), CEDR and IMI. Michael’s practice covers both commercial and family business disputes. He is accredited as a Commercial Mediator by CEDR and also as a family and family business mediator. Michael has combined a 30-year career as a lawyer in private practice and industry with involvement in a range of leisure and legal information companies. He has, therefore, a rare mixture of legal and business experience and, although this allows him to get straight to the heart of contentious issues, it is perhaps his grasp of disputants’ psychology that makes him such a successful mediator. He has a broad commercial mediation practice, although he is particularly strong on intellectual property, technology and insurance and is particularly adept at helping to solve cross-cultural and cross-border disputes. He comes from a family business background and, as a trained family mediator is, therefore, particularly suitable for disputes where commercial and family interests collide. Michael is a natural communicator, bringing to the parties a combination of charm and tenacity. He has not only the business skills to understand and deal with ancillary and financial issues but also the sensitivity to deal with children and other difficult issues in situations of high emotion. He is a regular writer, speaker and presenter on ADR topics, including being on panels at the International Mediation Interest Group in Geneva. Michael has been a Judge at both the ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition in Paris and the UK Mediation Skills Competition in London. He has been a trainer on mediations at an event organised by the Energy Charter Secretariat and, in 2017, trained mediators for the CIArb in Kuala Lumpur, as well as speaking on hybrid dispute resolution processes in Bahrain and Rotterdam in 2018 and Rio de Janeiro in 2020. He has a particular interest in mediation of cross-cultural disputes and has mediated disputes in the French language. Michael is listed in the mediation section of the Legal 500 directory.
Chris Fitton
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
Chris was a busy commercial disputes partner for 20 years, with national/international law firms headquartered in London. He became a full-time mediator in 2014 and now mediates c50 high value cases each year (average dispute value >£500,000). Chris was published in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame 2018. Chris is a specialist mediator for: financial services and pensions (IFAs, pension trustees and administrators) professional negligence (solicitors and valuers) construction higher value contract/commercial disputes, including director/shareholder insolvency cases Chris regularly mediates cases for/involving: the UK’s leading insurers and Lloyd’s syndicates UK clearing banks liquidator firms (including EY and GT) Chris practices mostly in London and Scotland.
Jane Gunn
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
Listed as a Global Leader in Who’s Who Mediation and featured in Legal 500 Hall of Fame for 2022, Jane Gunn is a former city solicitor, now a full-time mediator with over 25 years’ experience of mediating commercial cases. She has mediated hundreds of disputes and is frequently chosen for her extensive mediation experience as well as her ability to handle complex and emotive cases. Jane was accredited as a commercial mediator in 1996 (CEDR). She is a Mediator Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a CMC registered mediator and an IMI (The International Mediation Institute) Certified International Mediator. She is the immediate Past President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Mark Jackson-Stops
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
Mark Jackson-Stops has been a full-time mediator since the mid 1990s and founded IPOS Mediation, then known as In Place of Strife, in 1995.  He has since become recognised as one of the UK’s most experienced mediators, having conducted over 1,700 mediations.  Two decades practising as a Chartered Surveyor from 1973 lent him an unsurpassable insight into certain specialist areas of expertise including property development, investment and management, as well as tenant negotiations and valuations.  However, it has been the last twenty years plus, spent in full time mediation of commercial disagreements of every kind, that have really refined his legal acumen and the calm, confident style that’s so essential to successful dispute resolution. Mark trained as a mediator in the UK with CEDR, by whom he is accredited, and also with USA&M, then one of the largest US mediation practices, in Houston and El Paso, Texas. As a chartered surveyor, Mark’s experience covered principally property development and finance, landlord and tenant negotiations, property investment, management and valuation. When in practice as a chartered surveyor, he held appointments as an expert valuer in a number of professional negligence cases and also acted as a Receiver under the Law of Property Act. In his mediation career, Mark frequently acts in cases involving the insurance market, whether coverage issues, breach of conditions, professional negligence, property damage, business interruption and the like. Mark Jackson-Stops has considerable business experience. He has been a non-executive director of a number of companies involved in nursing homes, property development and investment and public houses. Mark was the recipient of the Judge’s Award for Achievement in Mediation, National Mediation Awards 2020 and he has been recognised as a Thought Leader in Mediation by Who’s Who Legal 2021.
Lawrence Kershen KC
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
Lawrence is recognised as one of the UK’s most experienced mediators and was ranked by Who’s Who Legal in 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019 as one of the world’s leading commercial mediators.  He has been a CEDR accredited mediator for nearly 20 years, and now works exclusively in mediation and training mediation skills.   Lawrence practised as a barrister for more than 30 years in a broad range of civil, commercial and complex criminal cases, and sat as a Recorder of the Crown Court; his understanding of civil and commercial litigation is second to none.  He blends experience of many years mediating, familiarity with litigation, and the practical application of communication skills. Lawrence’s mediation experience includes commercial contracts, banking and financial services, construction, defamation, engineering, inheritance, insurance, intellectual property, manufacturing, media, partnership, police, professional negligence, property, shareholdings and voluntary organisations.  He is also an experienced workplace and employment mediator.  Lawrence has experience in cross-cultural mediations, e.g. working with parties from Denmark/Norway (oil industry); Italy/India (manufacturing); US/ Denmark (pharmaceuticals); Israel/Ireland (charity); Switzerland/Iran (property). He has developed and run training courses in mediation and negotiation in the UK and abroad for a number of years, most recently for judges in Egypt and Morocco. He aims to adapt the mediation process to the specific needs of the parties, drawing on his experience as a trainer in communication skills such as NLP and Non-violent Communication. Given the effectiveness of dialogue in resolving conflict and making better relations, Lawrence qualified as a restorative facilitator. He has been actively involved in the development of Restorative Justice in the UK, both in the criminal field and in schools and organisations. From 2003-12 Lawrence was a Board member and latterly Chair of the Restorative Justice Council, and is trained as a restorative facilitator.  He has also acted as observer for Amnesty International in trials in the Gambia, Israel and Grenada, and in 1991 mediated between the Government of Grenada and 14 death row prisoners. To support the international work of Search for Common Ground in conflict transformation and peace-building he helped establish Search for Common Ground in the UK in 2007. He was its Chair until 2012 and remains a Board member. In 2007 he was honoured to be appointed Chief Pa Kumrabai of Yoni Bana Chiefdom in Sierra Leone. He is a certified trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and is also accredited as a trainer of Nonviolent Communication, the work of Dr Marshall Rosenberg. Lawrence speaks French and conversational Italian.
Jon Lang
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
Jon Lang is one of the most sought-after commercial mediators in the UK. He became a full-time mediator in May 2005, having spent almost 20 years as a solicitor in private practice, the last six as a partner in the disputes group of White & Case. A calm and measured approach, combined with wide-ranging experience at all levels of the judicial system and across a variety of industry sectors, has earned him a reputation as one of the UK’s most experienced mediators. Jon has been listed in the first tier of mediator rankings of both the Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 directories for a number of years and in The International Who’s Who of commercial mediators. Whilst in private practice, Jon acted for clients at all levels of the judicial system, in domestic and international arbitration and mediation. He has represented clients from a wide variety of industry sectors, from aviation to underwriting and in most types of commercial dispute, from shareholder actions to professional negligence.  Whilst in-house counsel at LIFFE, Jon advised on matters relevant to the then financial services regulatory regime. Jon represented clients in a number of reported cases. Jon is now instructed in a wide variety of disputes both in the UK and overseas from multi-party international trade cases involving proceedings in various jurisdictions to cases involving multiple and diverse claims between members of partnerships. Jon has acted as an expert in mediation and is a panel member of the Court of Appeal mediation scheme.  He is a former Chair of the Mediation Committee of the International Bar Association, a former Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association’s International Mediation Committee and a member of CPR’s Panel of Distinguished Neutrals. Jon is also the author of the book, ‘A Practical Guide to Mediation in Intellectual Property, Technology & Related Disputes’ published by Sweet & Maxwell in 2006.
Mark Linnell
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
Mark Linnell is an experienced commercial mediator. He was accredited by the CEDR in 2005 and is ranked in both Chambers and Legal 500 as one of the UK’s leading mediators. He has a comprehensive case file that includes a wide range of commercial, agricultural, financial and family mediations. Mark has been described as ‘an excellent mediator, able to help organisations save huge amounts of money in a very short timescale.’ His mix of commercial and military experience means he understands the long-term financial and emotional value that comes from resolving your dispute without recourse to litigation. Mark is skilled at identifying what’s important to both parties and has a ‘fantastic ability to bring people together,’ winning the confidence and trust of everyone involved to ‘make things happen.’ Mark’s innate sense of purpose is naturally balanced by his calm, warm and genial personality. “The mediator was professional, calm, reassuring in his manner and easy to understand” Partner City Law firm 2020 A creative approach Mark brings new thinking and creativity to his work as a mediator, all the while staying focussed on the goal. He understands that his role is to find a positive solution, not just refute what’s being said or look to find fault with the law. He will work tirelessly to do this, coming up with new ideas and approaches until you reach a settlement. While most settlements are cash there can be other, more creative alternatives. Mark’s fresh thinking means he is skilled at identifying and securing these. For example, he once settled a case with air miles so a father could travel to see his son in America four times in a year, all flights first class. “Professional and considered. He thought laterally and attempted to bring several parties to discussions (not just the lawyers).”  
Patrick Walker
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
Consistently ranked in tier 1 in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 directories, and with excellent feedback including in video mediations, Patrick is one of the UK’s busiest mediators. Whilst in private practice, Patrick specialised in property law and has earned a reputation as a leader in that field, appearing in all courts, the Lands Tribunal and the Agricultural Land Tribunal. He now mediates full time whilst also sitting part-time as Recorder and Deputy High Court Judge. With over 15 years’ experience as a mediator he mediates most types of commercial disputes together with contentious probate and trust disputes and is frequently struck by the contrast between disillusioned parties at trial and satisfied parties at mediation. Legal directory references note that he provides ‘everything you want from a mediator’ and manages to combine ‘a measured professional and firm’ approach with a ‘light, friendly and inclusive’ touch. He brings a highly-informed and pragmatic approach to all disputes including property, broad commercial disputes and family and trust matters’. Patrick conducts mediations with perception and authority in both his specialist field of property law and in a wide variety of commercial disputes including intellectual property and statutory undertakers and in areas as diverse as personal injury, nuisance and family and trust matters.  He is experienced in multiparty disputes and is equally used to working with Leading Counsel or litigants in person.  He works nationally and has a high success rate.
Andrew Hildebrand
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
With a unique background as mediator, lawyer and business adviser, Andrew brings extensive business and legal experience to his mediation practice.   Andrew has been on both sides of the table, as mediator and advising clients in mediation.  This, combined with his extensive commercial experience, gives him an enviable ability to see all sides of a dispute and to find the best way to resolution. Ranked as a leading mediator in the Legal 500, Andrew is highly effective. He is attuned to what solicitors and clients want from a mediator and can be relied on to be relentlessly proactive, tenacious and commercially focused. He combines this ability with an affable nature that allows him to deal with difficult personalities and the confidence to know when to be robust and challenging and when to defuse the dynamics in a room. A leading Entertainment, Sports & Licensing mediator and IFTA Arbitrator, Andrew has mediated high profile cases involving Hollywood studios, broadcasters, rights owners, agents, managers, licensors, distributors, producers, creative talent, financiers, event organisers, sportsmen, franchises, brands and rock bands. His approach is underpinned by his in-depth industry experience working with creative businesses and his familiarity with the business practices and the personalities, both here and abroad. He set up and ran the commercial side of FilmFour, headed up business and legal divisions for companies like Channel 4 and ‘The King’s Speech’, Momentum and executive produced for the late Richard Attenborough. He has co-financed over 100 feature films, including ‘Motorcycle Diaries’, ‘The Madness of King George’ and ‘Trainspotting’ and numerous television productions. Andrew also specialises in mediating disputes as they start to flare up. Disputes between businesses and disputes within businesses, including between Partners, Shareholders and Family Members. Where people are having difficulties handling a commercial relationship, he can get it safely back on track or, if they prefer, help them separate sensibly, managing the transition sensitively and productively. Separately, Andrew acts on an exclusive basis for clients as a Dispute Settlement Specialist, working closely with them and their advisers to ensure that they manage their dispute risk portfolio effectively, settle on the most effective terms and get the best out of mediation.
Alistair Pye
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
Alistair is one of the UK’s most popular mediators. With well over 750 mediations to his name, Alistair is consistently ranked in the top tiers of Legal 500 (including the Hall of Fame), Chambers and Partners and the International Who’s Who of Commercial Mediators. With over 30 years experience in dispute resolution at the highest level, Alistair trained as a mediator in 2006 and built his practice alongside his legal work – initially as a solicitor with a major international law firm and latterly a barrister. Coming from a background in all types of commercial, insurance and property disputes, for the majority of his legal career Alistair specialised in construction and insurance disputes. He has represented developers, contractors, construction professionals and their insurers in some of the biggest and most complex disputes in the UK – in the courts, arbitration, adjudication and mediation. Alistair left legal practice in 2014 to work as a full-time mediator and has since developed one of the busiest practices in the UK. With a settlement rate well above the industry average, his straight talking, imaginative style, his professionalism and his willingness to go the extra mile have led to resolution of all types of civil and commercial disputes, from modest claims to complex multi-party cases up to £100 million. Alistair is valued for his attention to detail, his ability to focus minds on negotiation rather than attrition and for his good humour (a much-underrated quality in mediation!). Like all top mediators, Alistair has very extensive experience of online mediations which continue to be popular, particularly where there is an international element. Alistair is available to work anywhere. Based in London and the South West, Alistair mediates nationally, internationally and online.
Charles Powell
Hall of fameIPOS Mediation
I have over 25 years’ experience as a mediator and have now conducted over 450 mediations.  I am a founder member of the Association of Midlands Mediators.  I joined the In Place of Strife panel in 2018.  I specialise in commercial disputes, partnership disputes, professional negligence, property claims, fire damage claims and banking/asset finance disputes.

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