Arbitration, Conciliation and Mediation
Apart from proceedings in the national courts, many contracts also provide for arbitration. Ahlers & Vogel have wide-ranging experience in the field of international and national arbitration. Dr. Peter Holtappels, for example, is honorary chairman of the German Maritime Arbitration Association (GMAA), Mr. Burkhard Klüver (lawyer) is chairman of the Wollschiedsgericht [German Wool Arbitration Court]. Many of our lawyers are highly regarded arbitrators in different kinds of proceedings, especially in matters of Maritime Law and Building Law. And of course we also undertake legal representation in arbitration proceedings on a regular basis.We have also always supported clients in extra-judicial dispute settlements and negotiated settlements in order to avoid lengthy proceedings. Apart from existing negotiation procedures, so-called mediation is becoming more and more established in Germany. Mediation is a structured process to resolve conflicts between parties. In mediation an attempt is made to work out binding conflict solutions through a mediator - acting on behalf of all parties and thus not bound to a single one - which in the ideal case is beneficial to both parties. Mediation is thus used to avoid long and expensive proceedings and leads to responsible solutions, as it is not the mediator who decides in place of the parties. In cases of mediation we act as consultants. Moreover, Mr. Jörn H. Linnertz, one of our lawyers, is a trained mediator.