Dispute resolution service celebrates 10 year anniversary
10 years ago this month, Nominet, the organisation which manages .uk domain names, set up its own dispute resolution service.
The service has been very successful, resolving over 10,000 cases, and has proved that disputes can be resolved other than by the traditional and often very costly route of court proceedings. Those known to have used this service include Argos, Barclays Bank, and Wayne Rooney.
Rob Andrews, Director of Andrews Law, the specialist commercial law firm, believes the success of the Nominet service has encouraged other industries to adopt alternative dispute resolution to resolve disputes.
A member of the leading alternative dispute resolution service, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Rob comments:
“The Nominet model seeks to resolve disputes through mediation in the first instance and where this is not successful appoints an independent expert to reach a decision. The service is cost effective, speedy and practical.”
The majority of cases settle at the mediation stage with both parties reaching an agreement which fulfils their requirements. Rob, who acts for a wide range of businesses and their owners across the region, encourages his clients to consider alternative dispute resolution as a means of resolving commercial disputes and cites the Nominet service as an example of how this approach can work in practice.
“The success of the Nominet model demonstrates that commercial disputes can be resolved without protracted and expensive Court room battles. Increasingly I am seeing clients receptive to an alternative approach which often result in a quicker, less expensive resolution where both parties reach a solution which is acceptable to them and can result in them moving forward to work together successfully in the future”.
