MacDonald Oates solicitors recently announced that Linda Wilson, Associate and Head of the Employment Department, is now an Accredited Workplace Mediator.

Linda is now able to act as an accredited mediator to help solve workplace disputes before they escalate into Tribunal litigation. Mediation is currently being highlighted as an alternative to the Tribunal and is line with the more recent changes to the Tribunal system resulting in a pre-claim conciliation procedure.

Workplace mediation involves an independent mediator meeting with the parties that have the disagreement or dispute. The aim is to facilitate a resolution between the parties, helping them to find the solution. It can work for all kinds of disputes with the only requisite being that both parties must enter into the mediation voluntarily. Mediation is confidential, allowing the parties to speak freely in order to reach an agreement.

With Linda’s years of experience as an Employment Lawyer, the new mediation service allows Linda to help businesses in a different way.

Linda says: “I am excited about what mediation can bring to the workplace as for many employers it could be a cost effective way of dealing with internal disputes, meaning they can retain valuable staff, avoid the costs and stress of recruitment and any possible Tribunal claims. My experience of advising employers and employees alike on all aspects of Employment Law provides a valuable insight when mediating on workplace disputes, and I am looking forward to working with businesses to help solve their workplace disputes”

With the addition of Linda as a Mediator, MacDonald Oates is able to offer clients a range of alternative dispute resolution processes, with Hazel Manktelow a trained Family Law Mediator and Tim Melville Walker an IFLA approved Family Law Arbitrator.

If you would like to find out more about what workplace mediation entails, contact Linda Wilson on 01730268211 or linda.wilson@macdonaldoates.co.uk.

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