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Peter Tochtermann:
1st ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition in Paris 2005

(Peter Tochtermann was one of the judges in the ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition.)

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in collaboration with the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association organized the first ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition in Paris from 14 - 16 January 2006. Whereas competitions in Alternative Dispute Resolution are held in the United States since many years, attract a great number of universities and have become a regular part of many students' academic calendar, a competition in ADR techniques is a novelty to most students from European countries. Having more than eight decades of experience in international dispute resolution, the ICC wishes to attract universities from as different countries and diverse legal backgrounds as are parties to the real world's business transactions every day. Thirteen selected student teams from Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States competed against each other in this pilot competition and were supported by leading professionals from all around the globe acting as mediators and judges.

I. The spirit of the competition

The ICC not only offers its services to the business world but also takes an active role in the education of law students and invites them to acquaint themselves with the different dispute resolution mechanisms, thereby bridging the gap between theory and practice. Business disputes need flexible and fast solutions preserving relationships and meeting the underlying interests of the parties as good as possible. Hence, conflicts arising in the international arena oftentimes are not addressed appropriately in an adversarial procedure like litigation or arbitration. Amicable Dispute Resolution techniques such as mediation, mini-trial, neutral evaluation or hybrid settlement procedures under many circumstances better meet the interests of parties to international business disputes. The ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition provides students from all over the world with an excellent opportunity to learn about these techniques. Most importantly the competition sensitizes students for cross-cultural aspects of negotiation and dispute resolution by allowing them to compete against students from all over the world.

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 Der Bericht als PDF