Tony Allen

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“…effectively works his way through seemingly irresolvable disputes.” – Chambers & Partners Guide to the Legal Profession

Languages

English

Overview

Tony Allen has handled over 500 mediations during his career and is regarded as a pioneer in mediating and developing mediation for clinical negligence, personal injury, and related professional indemnity and insurance claims, in which he is widely regarded as pre-eminent, and in which he has come to specialise in.

Additionally, he has experience in the challenging area of right to-life and treatment choice mediation. Disputes involving public law and judicial review, claims against the police and prison services, including data protection issues, and abuse of minors and adults with health and learning difficulties have been part of Tony’s impressive practice. He was always praised for his work on commercial claims over earlier years in a range of sectors, particularly travel, professional partnerships and property, and that past experience informs the work in which he now specialises.

Many of Tony’s cases have involved international parties, and he has mediated in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and South Africa.

Tony is highly regarded for his work on workplace stress claims. He has designed and mediated several high-profile group litigation claims, including the retained organs litigation. Since early 2020, he has mediated over 50 clinical negligence, personal injury and data protection claims on-line, including cases with several defendants and with parties joining from abroad.

Professional Background

Tony was a full-time CEDR Director for 11 years, having previously been partner in charge of Dispute Resolution in a Sussex solicitors’ firm for over 25 years, where he represented many clients at mediations as well as launching his mediation career.

Since 2011, he has been a self-employed mediator, trainer and author on a wide range of topics related to mediation and the law. Tony has trained mediators internationally and writes extensively on ADR and civil procedure. The second edition of his book Mediation Law and Civil Practice was published by Bloomsbury Professional in September 2018, reviewed as “essential knowledge for anyone involved in mediations in the UK or in any country that follows UK practice.” Its second edition is due out at the end of 2018.

His second book, Mediating clinical claims, was published by Bloomsbury Professional in early 2018. A reviewer describes Tony as “one of the pioneers of mediating clinical disputes in the UK. However, his frustration, bafflement even, at why it seems to be taking so long for mediation to be attempted routinely when in his experience it is such an effective process for achieving genuine resolution, is a theme which underpins his book.”

In 2010, he was awarded the Lord Slynn Memorial Prize for his contribution to the development of mediation in the UK. Tony was a member of the Civil Justice Council Working Party which produced the CJC Report ADR and Civil Justice in November 2018.

Expertise