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PROFILE
The Dispute Resolution Centre Trinidad and Tobago, (the Centre) was initially developed by the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and officially launched on August 24, 1996, by the Honourable Chief Justice, Michael de la Bastide. The Centre, currently operated by the T&T Chamber Secretariat and is a service available to both T&T Chamber members and non-members.

VISION
To be the provider of choice for out-of-court dispute resolution services based on the highest standards of integrity, trust and service excellence.

MISSION
• To deliver creative, out-of-court dispute resolution approaches in an independent, ethical, timely, confidential and cost-effective manner

• To provide a trusted cadre of dedicated and experienced mediators, arbitrators and other neutral professionals, facilitators and support resources. These professionals will be committed to delivering high quality innovative approaches to mediation, arbitration and other modes of dispute resolution, complemented by advanced training and outreach programmes.

OBJECTIVES
1. To service local and international dispute resolution needs in commercial and non-commercial sectors

2. To collaborate with the legal fraternity and other relevant industry organisations

3. To train and empower clients to resolve disputes

4. To foster widespread awareness and adoption of alternative dispute resolution approaches within communities locally, regionally and internationally.

 

SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE CENTRE

Mediation Services
The Centre has trained many professionals from various disciplines and maintains a panel of mediators. We match these mediators to cases where their special experience and expertise are most relevant.
The Centre can provide full administrative support for all matters referred to mediation, including secretarial, accommodation and housekeeping services. Disputes may be referred at any stage, before or after the commencement of legal proceedings.
The Centre recommends the incorporation of ADR clauses into all contracts. In the event of a dispute, the parties will be under a contractual obligation to discuss the problem privately and find an amicable solution through ADR. This is a good way to manage disputes. Where such a clause does not exist, the Centre can assist parties in structuring agreements to govern the conduct of mediation in conflict situations.

Arbitration Services
The Dispute Resolution Centre offers a choice of local and international arbitrators, some of whom are retired High Court and Court of Appeal Judges. Moreover, the Dispute Resolution Centre has had long-standing representation on the International Court of Arbitration. For many years the esteemed Mr. Justice Alcalde Warner served as the DRC’s representative on the ICC’s International Court of Arbitration in Paris, France. With the passing of Justice Warner, the Honourable Mr. Justice Roger Hamel-Smith, a former Acting Chief Justice and now member of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, took up the mantle and served as the DRC’s representative on the International Court of Arbitration.
The DRC’s panel of arbitrators also includes many senior attorneys and respected former judges such as the Honourable Madame Justice Annestine Sealey a former High Court judge, who also served as Principal of the Law School and the Honourable Humphrey Stollmeyer, JA, Lionel Jones, J and Roger Hamel-Smith, JA. We have also been privileged to have Mr. Selby Wooding, QC, serve as an arbitrator at the Centre. The DRC values the calibre and experience of our retired judges and specialist attorneys and sees in them an untapped resource.

Meeting Facilitation
The Centre is available to assist your institution by providing competent and neutral facilitation of potentially difficult meetings. We can facilitate meetings which, are expected to be contentious or complex, or meetings in which the in-house facilitator is not in a position to provide neutral leadership.

Dispute Resolution System Design
The Centre is available to assist your institution in improving how it handles conflict on a system-wide basis. The goals of our system design service are to reduce the high costs of ineffective dispute resolution, to reduce the frequency of recurring conflicts, and to increase the quality and durability of solutions. The system design process has five phases: Initial Consultation, Assessment, Design, Implementation and Evaluation.

Training Programmes
The Centre organises Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and other workshops, seminars and courses on a regular basis. These programmes are offered to the public or are customised to meet an organisation’s specific needs, and will combine any of the following topics to provide comprehensive training courses. Further, our facilitators are drawn from a cadre of distinguished trainers, both locally and internationally, who are leaders in their field.
The following is a listing of ADR Training Programmes that we can provide,
• Dealing with Difficult People in the Workplace
• Conflict Management and Resolution
• Analyzing the Cost of Conflict in the Workplace
• Handling Conflict with Ease & Etiquette
• Conquering Conflict & Stress for Improved Performance
• Managing Workplace Conflict
• Successfully Confronting & Resolving Conflict Within Teams
• Achieving Excellence in Customer Service
• Anger Management – Controlling the Volcano Within
• Dealing with Telephone Aggression
• Managing Violence & Aggression
• Stress Management
• Stress Management for Executives
• The Competent Communicator
• Self Management vs. Self Conflict for the Busy Executive
• Leadership and Friction – Managing the Shift
• Toxic People, Toxic Workplace
• Comprehensive Strategies for Managing Conflict in Communities
• Managing & Facilitating Change in Dynamic Environments
• Critical Thinking
• Negotiation Skills: Contract, Strategic, International, The Art of Power Negotiations
• Forty-hour Mediation Skills (for Certification by TT Mediation Board)
• Practical Mediation Skills
• Conflict Resolution and Mediation for Schools and Communities
• Peer Mediation
• Building Effective Mediation Skills in the Workplace
• Mediation for Managers
• Advanced Mediation
• Court Annexed Mediation – Practical Training
• Court Annexed Mediation Training for Non-lawyer Mediators
• The Attorney’s Unique Role in Mediation
• The Mediation Act in Practice
• Arbitration

LOCATION
Chamber Building
Columbus Circle, Westmoorings,
P.O. Box 499, Port of Spain
Trinidad & Tobago, WIi.
Phone: (868) 632-4051/637-6242 fax: 633-7897/632-4046
email: [email protected]
website: http://drc.org.tt