Earlier this year we announced the loss of Michael Leathes, an extraordinary colleague, founding father, mentor and friend whose contributions have profoundly shaped the dispute resolution field, worldwide.
To honour Michael’s achievements, the International Mediation Institute (IMI), which he co-founded, and the global ADR community have created a memorial page for those who wish to share memories or testimonials on the lasting impact of Michael’s work.
In further recognition of Michael’s extraordinary contributions to the ADR field, we have drafted a Nomination Letter and invite you to support our nomination of Michael for the prestigious CPR Jim Henry Award, which honors outstanding achievement by individuals for distinguished, sustained contributions to the field of ADR. To lend your support, please consider signing our petition (no donations required). This award would be a fitting tribute to Michael’s legacy and his dedication to advancing ADR.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to honor Michael’s memory and his invaluable contributions to our field!
In continuation of our sharing of memories of Micheal, his ideas, and his unique approach of meditative leadership, we invite the mediation community to two events, organised in hybrid form, which will serve as a platform to collectively work together to advance the field and his legacy:
📆 14 March 2025
🏢 Oxford, United Kingdom and online
- IMI is organising a morning seminar (9:30-13:30 GMT) at Pembroke College, Oxford’s Harold Lee Room and online, to discuss Michael’s ideas and to jointly co-develop them. We look forward to meeting you in person or online!
- A Memorial Service for Michael will be organised in the afternoon, details of which are available here. We hope many of you will join online!
We invite you to the morning ADR session during which we will honour Michael Leathes‘ legacy by engaging in meaningful discussions on key topics relating to Appropriate Dispute Resolution that Michael was deeply passionate about, such as:
- Mentoring new mediators
- Rendering ADR (and especially mediation) more “user-centric” and data-driven
- Improving mediator selection processes
The morning ADR session is open to a wide range of participants, including business executives, external lawyers, in-house counsel, and ADR professionals.
Please see the full program details here and register here.
