11 May 2010
Staff achieve Double Success
 Litigation Solicitor John French has been made an accredited mediator, while Lisa Gladdy has become a fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX).
Mr French can now act as a mediator to try and prevent disputes reaching court – thus saving clients potentially many thousands of pounds
He completed a course with dispute resolution experts, the ADR Group and believes he may be the only accredited mediator working for a Coventry law firm.
He said: “Mediation is about keeping both parties out of court by having an independent person to facilitate discussions between warring parties on a purely without prejudice basis with a view to ending the dispute – meaning that the parties in a case can say what they like to try and settle the matter”
“Court cases can cost tens of thousands of pounds, so this form of dispute resolution can often work out for the best, as long as both parties are willing to sit down with each other, and talk about the dispute in a constructive manner with a view to reaching a long-term solution”
“It’s not a service many law firms in West Midlands or Warwickshire offer so it will be useful to businesses, individuals and other law firms in the region.”
Lisa Gladdy spent seven years working towards her qualification and was admitted as a fellow of ILEX in September 2009, before graduating in April.
The Legal Executive lawyer, who works in our Wills, Trust and Probate department, said: “To become a legal executive you must fulfil ILEX’s academic requirements and complete five years qualifying employment.
“To do this, I spent a year studying full time before I joined Band Hatton in 2003. Then I spent four years studying part-time at college and then two years distance learning working towards this qualification, so I’m very pleased to finally have graduated.”
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