Mediation Bombay
International Dispute Resolution Competition
The city of Bombay which boasts of having the richest legal history in the country, had witnessed two of the Mediation Competition of National proportions till last year. MNLU Mumbai is certainly ready to take on this mantle and present to you Mediation Bombay 3.0. Mediation Bombay 3.0 promises to be an event that will change the way the future generation of lawyers view mediation. We are confident to take this legacy ahead. In the past seven years, MNLU Mumbai has achieved a lot, both at the national and the international stage. On the back of these prosperous years for the University, the stage is, once again, set for us to take another step towards delivering the best Mediation competition. Mediation Bombay is designed to be the premier platform for students to showcase their mediation and negotiation skills.
In October, 2019 MNLU Mumbai hosted its first edition of ‘Mediation Bombay’. Our aim to echo the sentiment of Bombay, the excitement, ambition, passion and collaboration came to fruition as we hosted 24 of the top Law Schools in India. We are proud to announce our success in creating a single competition that provides a platform for students to interact, fuel their competitive spirit, build connections and consistently enhance their skill set. 2020 marked another stepping stone on our path to growth. ‘Mediation Bombay’ witnessed participation and collaboration from teams and organizations across Asia. Through a culmination of hard work, creativity and an inspiring vision, our team was able to create a memorable virtual experience.
On the back of these prosperous years for the University, the stage is set for us to once again take another step towards delivering the best Mediation competition. Mediation Bombay is designed to be the premier platform for students to showcase their mediation and negotiation skills.
Why Bombay:
Although Mumbai is a city, Bombay is an emotion. It is this emotion that we want to tap into. The excitement of industry, the sentiment of collaboration and compromise, the feeling of ‘never say die’ attitude of every person who has ever lived in this glorious city. It is the culmination of all these sentiments that has resulted in the constant development of which we are proud of and has contributed to Bombay’s rise as the financial capital of India.
Aim and purpose:
Our aim is to foster the growth of ADR practices in India and to impact the quality of these practices. As a young lawyer, one is seldom exposed to an accommodating attitude towards mediations. In cases when they are, it’s often treated as an option that is mentioned for the sake of formality. In Mediation Bombay the idea is to change this notion and the manner in which students perceive Mediation. In this competition we want to highlight that speaking up is not interfering, that sharing an opinion as regards to process is not a reflection of bias and that a mediator’s role is more than just that of a playback recorder or an aid to a blackboard. In addition to this, the goal is to encourage negotiators to think out of the box. Our problems are set to include various interwoven themes and sub-themes in a bid to challenge the contestants to venture far past their comfort zone. Needless to say, this is going to be a challenging task, but one that promises many benefits. From winning national and international competitions, organising workshops with global ADR Experts to establishing India’s first Centre for research on Mediation, Centre for Mediation and Research (CMR), we have done it all.
From Hon'ble Vice Chancellor's desk
Prof. (Dr.) Dilip Ukey
Patron
Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) Mumbai has made strides in the field of dispute resolution. Our specialized research centres such as Centre for Arbitration and Research and Centre for Mediation and Research have played a pivotal role in this. Our concerted efforts of promoting research and training in these fields are complemented by our Master’s program on Mediation and Conflict Resolution, the newly launched Post-Graduate Diploma in Arbitration and Mediation and the student-led ADR society. The University is conducting mediation training programs in family law, real-estate law, consumer law and commercial law to train the future mediators. The ‘Meet the Mediators‘ initiative is also noteworthy. The Mediation Bombay was initiated in order to complement the institutional efforts to promote quick, peaceful, and cost-effective resolution of conflicts in our lives. The goal is to make students reflect on the critical issues and skills involved in the dispute resolution. It gives me immense pleasure that the initiative of our faculty Mr. Chirag Balyan is now being taken forward by the ADR society in its third edition. I must mention that the University is already in process of setting up a functional Arbitration and Mediation Centre in association with the General Counsel Association of India to offer the dispute resolution services and facilities to the stakeholders. All of our initiatives in the last 6 years have been to make constant endeavour to improve the justice system by championing the cause of dispute resolution. I wish the organizing committee of this year as well as all the participating teams good luck in this great endeavour. I am confident that all our endeavours taken together will contribute to robust dispute resolution methods and competent professionals. This is indeed the need of both our society and legal system..
From Hon'ble Registrar's desk
Prof. (Dr.) Anil G. Variath
Co-Patron
A robust dispute resolution system is one of the essential prerequisites of a progressing economy. If the commercial disputes are locked up for decades in a system no prudent investor would venture into such an economy. Mediation as a process of dispute resolution through a structure interactive process has assumed greater importance in the post-liberalized era. The Indian Courts have also started appreciating the process of mediation as an effective tool for dispute resolution. As of now in India, we have a dearth of trained Mediators. The Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai has always been at the forefront in imparting quality training in the field of mediation through a number of its initiatives. One of such initiative is the Mediation Mumbai. The last editions of Mediation Mumbai has received overwhelming response, now the institution is ready with Mediation Mumbai 2022. I wish the event and its organizers all the success.
From Convenor's Desk
Asst. Prof. Abhijit rohi
This is the third edition of mediation Bombay, one of the flagship events hosted and organized by MNLU Mumbai. It is an honest and humble attempt on our part to promote students engagement in learning, acquiring and practicing the skills required to be future ready legal professionals with the competitive spirit. I wish the very best to all the participants and this edition and hope that this would be an enriching experience worth cherishing. I also thank you for giving us the opportunity to host you (though virtually this year) and for associating with MNLU Mumbai.