In conjucntion with law firm Hammonds and the Standing Conference of Mediation Advocates, the Mediator Magazine today publishes a new, 26-page report on mediation advocacy techniques. Entitled Effective Mediation Advocacy, the report is the brainchild of Hammonds consultant Charles Middleton-Smith and comprises the thoughts and observations of a dozen leading mediators as to what differentiates advocates who get the best outcomes for their clients and those who don't. 

The report also includes Middleton-Smith's observations on advocacy technique accrued over ten years as a commercial mediator. As party representatives have become more experienced and confident, and in the light of judicial pressure, they are now as likely to be helpful as unhelpful to the mediator,' Middleton-Smith says. 'Experience can also bring negative consequences, techniques and strategies, however, which may be deployed with increasing subtlety!'