Vancouver—Dentons is pleased to have once again taken a lead role as premier sponsor of ADRIC's preeminent annual conference that took place in beautiful Victoria, BC on November 20-22, 2019. This year's theme, "Realizing ADR's Full Value", focused on the importance of ADR, and helping organizations understand the full potential and benefits of ADR. The four session streams were Arbitration, ADR Processes, Workplace/Labour/HR and Indigenous ADR.

The three-day conference attracted more than 250 attendees, comprised of in-house counsel, arbitrators, mediators and other practitioners. Distinguished keynote speakers included The Hon. David Eby, Q.C., Attorney General for British Columbia; and The Hon. Sheilah L. Martin of the Supreme Court of Canada; and Dr. John Fletcher, ADR Products Group Director, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

With one of the leading arbitration practices in Canada, Dentons' lawyers provided their insights in three sold-out sessions. Norm Emblem, of the Dentons' Toronto office, discussed "Clause Drafting and Jurisdictional Issues," which provided a review of the limits of the jurisdiction of an arbitral tribunal, whether contractual or statutory, reviewing key cases and issues.

David Wotherspoon, of the Firm's Vancouver office, participated on a panel that discussed "Judicial Deference to Arbitration," which examined the choice of resolving disputes through binding arbitration to avoid lengthy and costly appeals in the courts.

Rajit Mittal, also based in Vancouver, presented "Arbitrator Conflicts," helping the audience understand the procedures that should be in place to catch potential conflicts at the outset, the importance of reviewing conflicts at the time of file intake, and what to do if a conflict is discovered at a later stage.

About Dentons' ADR Practice

Disputes are a part of doing business; at Dentons, resolving them is our business. Appropriate dispute resolution (ADR) is one of Dentons' core practices. As the use of ADR has grown, so too has the sophistication of the processes we employ. Effective, successful use of ADR mechanisms requires counsel with specialized training and experience. Dentons has long been at the forefront of ADR development, investing significantly in training our lawyers. Dentons has also been a corporate member of ADRIC for many years and is currently represented on its board of directors by Michael Schafler of the Toronto office. Experienced in the full range of arbitration, negotiation, mediation and settlement techniques, including settlement counsel, we are a globally recognized ADR leader.

About ADRIC

Recognized as Canada's preeminent ADR professional organization, ADRIC sets the benchmarks for best ADR practices in Canada, promotes conflict resolution through arbitration, mediation and other forms of ADR, and provides leadership, value and support to its members. For more information, visit http://adric.ca/