James South

Client Feedback

“The clients were quite demanding and difficult, and he got the measure of them very quickly. He was very good at managing the clients, keeping them in check and built up a good rapport.”

Languages

English, Spanish

Overview

James South is CEDR’s Managing Director, lead trainer of CEDR Mediator Training Faculty and one of the most experienced dispute resolution consultants.

James, a qualified lawyer in his native New Zealand has 20 years’ experience as a mediator. He acts as mediator both in the UK and internationally, specialising in corporate and commercial disputes, with particular experience in International commercial contracts, Insurance & Finance, Property, Sales of Goods & Services and Employment & Workplace. James also combines his mediating and consultancy skills to provide facilitation, neutral chairing and conflict coaching services to Boards, leadership teams and other groups which find themselves in conflict.

Professional Background

James’ recent assignments have included Lead Expert to the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) on a global skills-based initiative to train board-level executives in the resolution of disputes and conflicts, in addition to International Expert to the Ministry of Justice of Moldova, funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, to roll-out mediation schemes across the court system.

In recent years, James has been working on Applied Training in the utilisation of the mediator skill set in new and developing areas such as at Board and Leadership level within organisations and in Investor-State Disputes, working with ICSID and the Energy Charter Secretariat to develop and deliver specialist training for mediators in Investor-State Disputes in Washington DC, Paris and Hong Kong.

James holds a Masters in Law (Distinction) in Dispute Prevention and Resolution from University of Westminster, London, He has taught ADR at Birkbeck College, University of London, London South Bank University, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University, Los Angeles, and the University of San Francisco.

James currently sits on the Board of the International Mediation Institute (IMI) and previously was on the Board of the Civil Mediation Council (CMC) for England and Wales.

Expertise