The reason given by the Mediator Standards Board (MSB) for its article "Australia's Mediator Accreditation System Set to Evolve in 2024" (published in the Open Forum on 22 February 2024) is to explain why the change from the National Mediator Accreditation System (NMAS) to the Australian Mediator and Dispute Resolution System (AMDRAS), and what it means for lawyer-mediators and the legal profession.
Disappointingly, the article makes no mention of the detailed submission by the Law Council of Australia, provided in response to the MSB request for feedback on the draft AMDRAS. The Law Council is the peak national representative body of the Australian legal profession.
To state, as the MSB does in the article, that it "considers the impact of the new standards on lawyers and lawyer-mediators to be largely positive" is at odds with the many matters of concern raised in the Law Council's submission about the draft AMDRAS, including the adverse impact on lawyer-mediators and lawyer-based RMAB's.
It is hoped that the Law Council's submission will not simply be passed over without the MSB addressing the very real concerns that have been expressed.
The Law Council's submission can be found here: https://lawcouncil.au/resources/submissions/draft-australian-mediator-and-dispute-resolution-system-standards
Gary Ulman
Chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
The Law Society of New South Wales
Original Message:
Sent: 23-02-2024 11:48 AM
From: Rukmini Sengupta Roy
Subject: MSB article on the new AMDRAS standards
The Mediator Standards Board has released an article on the new Australian Mediator and Dispute Resolution Accreditation System (AMDRAS). You can read the article here:
Australia's Mediator Accreditation System Set to Evolve in 2024
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Rukmini Sengupta Roy
Resolution Institute
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