SCCA concludes commercial mediation training program

Published Date: 07/07/2019

The Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration yesterday concluded its three-day intensive training program in mediation to resolve commercial disputes, which started at the beginning of the week. The program's aim is to enhance mediation skills among those interested in the institutional arbitration industry, most importantly arbitrators, lawyers, and law students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The program involved a select group of international experts and mediators accredited with SCCA and International Centre for Dispute Resolution at the American Arbitration Association (ICDR-AAA).

SCCA conducted the program based on its national role in localizing the institutional arbitration industry and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the Kingdom, including mediation, by enabling Saudi professionals to offer ADR services and support the capital and business sectors by providing more specialized Saudi talent in this field.

Participants in presenting the program included Mr. Richard Niemark, the American Arbitration Association's former vice president, and Mr. Mark Appel, an international arbitrator and mediator and director of Appel Dispute Resolution.

The program's presentation was based on practical application mock cases, enabling the participants to take part in cases around hypothetical disputes, from forming the arbitral tribunal to resolving the dispute. The participants also role-played as parties to the dispute, mediator, and observer. The aim is to create a simulated environment integrating the elements of mock dispute cases, thus transferring the basic knowledge and skills necessary to practice mediation as an ADR service.