Alistair Pye – IPOS Mediation
Consistently appointed by both leading law firms and large UK and international companies, Alistair Pye of IPOS Mediation is ‘very good at identifying the key issues that require addressing, in order to progress as quickly as possible towards a commercial settlement. He is persistent, energetic, and imaginative in his will to find solutions’. Conducting 69 mediations in 2023, Pye is particularly well known for high-value, multi-party construction and engineering disputes. He has recently also mediated disputes in the sports and entertainment industries, such matters frequently involving high-profile household names. Pye is additionally sought out for appointments in commercial disputes, professional negligence, and inheritance and shareholder conflicts.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Profile
Position
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.
Career
2014 – present: Full time independent Civil and Commercial Mediator and Construction Adjudicator
2017 – present: Practising Barrister
1989 – 2014: Solicitor / solicitor-advocate in private practice
2006 – 2014: Part time Mediator alongside private practice
2012 – 2014: Beale & Company: construction and insurance litigation
1996 – 2012: DAC Beachcroft (legacy firm): commercial litigation, professional risk, construction and insurance litigation
1993 – 1996: Cameron McKenna (legacy firm): banking litigation and professional risk
1989 – 1993: Veale Wasbrough: commercial litigation
Languages
Limited Spanish and French
Memberships
FCIArb, Society for Construction Law, Member of the Bar (called to Middle Temple 2017), Adjudication Society
Education
1982 Sussex University BA (Hons) 2:1 English and Philospophy
1985 Bristol Polytechnic Law Society Common Professional Examination – distinction
1986 Bristol Polytechnic Law Society Final Examination
Solicitor Advocate (all courts) 2002
London School of Mediation Accredited Mediator 2006
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Construction Adjudicator 2011
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