Anthony is a fully qualified mediator with 40 years’ experience of handling commercial and private disputes.
Anthony has been a firm advocate of mediation throughout his career having seen its benefits first hand both as a legal representative and as the client. He has been involved in mediation since its infancy in the UK in the 1980’s.
Anthony is married and has three children. He is keen on sport, photography, walking, music, and reading. He is the co-founder of the vinyl charity Make A Difference with Records that raises funds for the Surrey mental health charity Catalyst.
Legal Expertise
Anthony has experience in commercial litigation and dispute resolution across many industry sectors and territories with a proven track record of dissecting and resolving complex problems quickly and effectively. He has conducted more than 30 mediations as a principal party or their legal representative.
Anthony was Head of the Commercial Litigation Department and then the Insurance and Reinsurance Group of CMS Cameron McKenna before becoming Global Group Head of Claims at international specialist insurer Beazley plc.
He has extensive experience of mediations in England and the United States both as a legal adviser in private practice and more recently as the principal decision-maker running a commercial business. Anthony therefore has a real appreciation of the opportunities and challenges that arise for parties involved in the dispute resolution process.
People and Communication Skills
No two mediations are the same and the mediator has to be able to flex their style. The personalities of the parties and the health of their commercial relationships can be as much an obstacle to settlement as a disagreement over the law or facts. Anthony has strong communication and people skills through both his legal experience and as a businessman leading large and diverse teams.
Anthony is also in the rare position of having conducted mediations not just as an adviser but also as principal and client. He has seen first hand how a mediator can either improve or harm the prospects of a resolution and understands the dynamics of the mediation process.
“The legal paperwork and position papers rarely tell you the full story. Spending time ahead of the mediation talking to each party and getting a clearer understanding of the real obstacles to settlement is a critical part of the mediator’s skill set. Otherwise you can waste a lot of people’s time and money and never address the crux of the dispute.”
Anthony is and effective communicator with an empathetic and flexible style, who is not afraid to tackle difficult issues:
“It’s not for mediators to tell parties the answer, but they can add a lot of value by encouraging the parties to properly reflect on the main issues so that they understand the potential consequences of the different paths they might choose to take. That means that a mediator needs to be prepared to ask probing questions. It’s about focusing the dialogue on what is important and then allowing people to take fully informed decisions. ”