Mediation and Commercial Contract Law: Towards a Comprehensive Legal Framework

There is an urgent need to better understand the legal issues pertaining to alternative dispute resolution (ADR), particularly in relation to mediation clauses. Despite the promotion of mediation by dispute resolution providers, policy makers, and judges, use of mediation remains low. In particular, problems arise when parties lack certainty regarding the legal effect of a mediation clause, and the potential uncertainty regarding the binding nature of agreements to pursue mediation is problematic and threatens the growth of ADR.

This book closely examines the importance and complexity of mediation clauses in commercial contracts to remedy this persistent uncertainty. Using comparative law methods and detailed empirical research, it explores the creation of a comprehensive framework for the mediation clause.

Providing valuable insight into the process of ADR and mediation, this book will be of interest to academics, law makers, law students, in-house council, lawyers, as well as parties interesting in drafting enforceable mediation clauses.

Maryam Salehijam, PhD, LLM, LLB is a multilingual professional with a strong background in business, law/policy, dispute resolution, negotiation, and public speaking. Her PhD was granted by Ghent University in 2019. She was a visiting researcher at the Gould Center for Negotiation and Mediation (Stanford Law School), the MPI for Comparative and International Private Law, and the Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution (University of Missouri).