Press release

20 September 2006

ADR Group signs new contract with the Family Mediators Association           

ADR Group and the Family Mediators Association (‘FMA’) announced today, at the FMA AGM at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, that terms have been agreed for a further five year contract. The combined resources of the two organisations offer the UK public the widest choice of civil, commercial and family mediation capabilities under one roof.

The FMA is an independent registered charity providing specialist mediation services to separating and divorcing couples in the UK. Established in 1986, the FMA remains a leading organisation dedicated to assisting those involved in family breakdown to communicate more effectively, explore alternatives and focus on the needs and interests of those most affected by separation.

ADR Group, established in 1989, provides full administrative services to the FMA and its membership body of family lawyer and therapist mediators. In association with the FMA, the ADR Group delivers one of the most established family mediation foundation training programmes in the UK. ADR Group also provides advanced mediator training through a hybrid training model which combines expertise from both the family and commercial sectors. The conversion programme offers previously trained family mediators the opportunity to integrate their honed family mediation skills into the civil and commercial arena, qualifying family mediators to undertake work in a wide range of non-family disputes including business and partnership disputes.

Deborah Turner, newly appointed Chair of the FMA, is delighted with the news “We have worked hard to agree terms that enable both organisations to strengthen their respective core competencies and sector knowledge whilst combining experiences and resources to deliver the highest quality mediation services for the general public.”

Michael Lind, Managing Director of the ADR Group said “We look forward to working with the FMA for a second five year term and to building on our collaborative relationship. Mediation is a process aimed at assisting parties in dispute the opportunity to reach their own terms of settlement. The core competencies of mediation are universal - it is the application of the skills [depending on the dispute type] that differs. We are delighted to be able to offer the widest possible range of civil, commercial and family mediation services, in association with the FMA.”

About ADR Group

ADR Group is the leading professional alternative dispute resolution company in the UK. We are highly regarded both nationally and internationally as an authority in mediation and other cost-effective dispute resolution and prevention techniques spanning commercial, public-sector and family disputes.

The Group delivers a wide range of dispute resolution training programmes through its training faculty, with all programmes recognised and approved by the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council. ADR Group is also recognised as an accredited mediation provider by the Civil Mediation Counsel, the UK’s leading mediation standards organisation.

ADR Group is an organisation supporting initiatives approved by the Department for Constitutional Affairs, the Court Service and various Court based mediation schemes around the country. The Group formed part of the European Commission’s ADR working party on the drafting and implementation of the EU ADR Code and Directive. ADR Group operates an International ADR Development Programme and has delivered mediation awareness and Judicial training programmes funded by the British Embassy, the Department for International Development and the World Bank Group.

For further information contact

 Katie Vander Woerd

 E: Katie.vander-woerd@adrgroup.co.uk

 T: +44 (0) 117 946 7180.

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