ICFML’s International Negotiation and Mediation Summer School in Portugal- By Flora Henry
Last month, I was lucky to attend a Negotiation and Mediation Summer School hosted by The Institute for Certification and Training of Lusophone Mediators (ICFML), at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto.*
ICFML is a non-profit organisation that sets professional standards for mediation in Portuguese-speaking countries and provides training in mediation. Their summer school, now in its third year, is part of their mission to promote mediation as an essential tool for resolving conflicts.
I attended the summer school alongside a truly international group of students, some of whom travelled from as far as Canada or Bhutan to attend the week-long event. Others were able to take part from the comfort of their homes, as a virtual course ran alongside the in-person event. Many of the participants were current law students or had some form of legal background, whilst others were interested in conflict resolution and the potential mediation wields in other sectors, such as within workplace conflicts or environmental disputes.
Ana Maria Maia Gonçalves, who co-founded ICFML, hosted the course and assembled an impressive lineup of internationally-renowned mediators to lead sessions throughout the week. The result was a program which was incredibly diverse and thought-provoking that encouraged us to explore mediation in various contexts and evaluate its benefits from different perspectives.
For example, on the first day, Jeremy Lack introduced us to theories that apply neuroscience to negotiations. He shared important research which highlights how changes in our brain function can impact our ability to process information. This is important for mediators as it can influence party’s priorities, as well as their own assessment of their needs and interests and their willingness to mediate.
Another day, Catherine Davidson drew upon her experience in international commercial mediations to help us better understand the mediation process and develop effective mediation techniques. As part of this, she highlighted the importance of preparation to enable parties, and the mediator, to get the most out of mediation sessions. Catherine also gave us a masterclass in summarising and reframing – an essential skill for maintaining the neutrality of process throughout any mediation.
Later in the week we had an informative session on Mediation Ethics and Substantive Justice from Ellen Waldman, who identified some of the ethical dilemmas that can arise in mediations, such as addressing power imbalances. She also helped us identify some of our own biases and learn how these can impact our assessment of a situation.
These are merely a few examples of the many excellent classes I participated in throughout the week. In addition, in between lectures, we also benefitted from opportunities to continuously apply what we had learned in practical mediation and negotiation sessions. These enabled us to receive valuable feedback from the experienced mediators in attendance and also learn from our peers.
Overall, the summer school was an excellent opportunity to connect with other aspiring mediators and deepen my understanding of mediation theory and practice. The variation within the program encouraged us to continuously evaluate mediation in context and be mindful of external factors which can impact the suitability and effectiveness of mediation. I hope to maintain this curiosity and continue to build upon the mediation skills I have begun to develop as I embark on my legal career.
I was fortunate to receive a scholarship from ICFML to attend this summer school, alongside my University of Glasgow teammates Aidan Wallace and Shaun Sweeney following our recent success at CPR’s International Mediation Competition. Shaun previously wrote a blog about his experience of the competition, which you can find here: http://www.youngmediators.com/blog/2024/4/24/students-from-the-university-of-glasgow-represent-in-the-cpr-institutes-international-mediation-competition-in-so-paulo-brazil
Flora Henry is a trainee solicitor at Brodies LLP