A snapshot of North America—Release of the GPC North America Report

We have now released The GPC North America Report!

GPC North America Report

The GPC North America Report is the eighth and final report in the suite of GPC North American reports. It provides a comparative analysis of the seven recently released, local reports. This means that for the first time in history, we have a comprehensive baseline for commercial dispute resolution (DR) across the North American region

While some of the findings in the GPC North America Report may be expected, others may be perceived as controversial. Either way, we hope that the report will stimulate robust dialogue and prompt data-driven decision-making for commercial DR across North America.

Thinking of becoming IMI Certified? Read more here >

The following provides a sample from the of top priorities for the commercial DR community in North America as described in the GPC North America Report

  • Include ADR as a mandatory part of law school curricula and continuing legal education (CLE) for lawyers and judges and investigate options for inclusion of ADR in business schools.
  • Develop principles for proportionate discovery. The principles would provide guidance on the need and extent of discovery based on the type of DR process selected and/or the stage of the dispute.
  • Change the current nomenclature from alternative/appropriate dispute resolution (ADR) to dispute resolution (DR) to reflect the cultural shift occurring within commercial DR. Further, draw on the suite of GPC North America reports to complete the transition to a party-centric approach to dispute resolution.

When contemplating the findings from the GPC North America Report we ask that you also consider the distinction between the suite of GPC North American reports and other GPC reports such as the Global Data Trends and Regional Differences. Rather than focusing on the multiple-choice questions—the results of which were available in real-time at each GPC conference—the GPC North American reports provide an analysis of data from the discussions in 302 focus groups held across GPC events. In this way, the GPC North American reports are unique and designed to provide a different perspective than that of previous reports based on findings arising out of the multiple-choice questions.

We look forward to your response to the GPC North America Report and thank the delegates at the North American GPC events for their generosity and insight into commercial DR landscape in North America.

Best wishes,
Danielle and Emma-May

Authored by Danielle Hutchinson  and Emma-May Litchfield, the GPC North America Report was created as part of an IMI project funded by the AAA-ICDR Foundation. The full suite of reports present findings from data from the GPC Series 2016-17 and are available on the IMI website.

Where can I become IMI Certified in North America?

IMI Certification is the international gold standard for mediation worldwide. Read about the benefits here.

IMI Qualifying Assessment Programs in North America include AAA, JAMS (open to JAMS mediators only), BRDGES Academy, the ADR Institute of Canada, Family Mediation Canada, the International Bar Association, the Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution, the International Institute for Conflit Prevention and Resolution (CPR), and the Institute for Dispute Resolution at New Jersey City University. Find your nearest program here.

For further information about the GPC and its supporters, see elsewhere on the IMI website.

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