Paul is considered to be one of the leading mediators in the UK. He was, until November 2006, one of the senior litigation partners in Pannone LLP in Manchester. Mediation was part of his practice there. He decided to leave partnership to pursue a career as a full time mediator. For this reason he decided to transfer to the Bar and join one of the leading barristers chambers in the UK.

Chambers & Partners

Paul is mentioned in successive editions of Chambers & Partners. He has been described as "one of the rising stars in the mediation world" and that he is “worth his weight in gold”.

Previous entries in Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 entries ...

During his time as a litigator Paul undertook a broad range of work; insolvency and corporate recovery; civil and criminal fraud; professional negligence; contractual disputes; shareholder disputes; financial services litigation; partnership disputes; professional disciplinary matters; regulatory matters.

 He was mentioned in successive editions of both Chambers and the Legal 500 as a leading lawyer in two different areas; commercial litigation and insolvency and corporate recovery. The entries described him as;

• The “standout lawyer” in the commercial litigation department of Pannone LLP
• A good communicator
• Tenacious
• Always well prepared
• Good team player
• A graceful all rounder respected for his acute commercial sense
• Calm and balanced
• Easy to comprehend manner
• Ensures his clients have the necessary information
• “Streetwise and sensible”

Paul is a very experienced mediator. The value of disputes mediated covers the full range to those exceeding £100million.

He has mediated disputes in the following areas:

Banking, Charities, Competition, Commercial, Contractual, Construction & Engineering, Costs, Fraud, Inheritance & Trusts, Insolvency, Intellectual Property, Partnership (solicitors, accountants, doctors), Patents, Professional negligence (accountants, architects, financial advisors, insolvency practitioners, insurance brokers, solicitors, surveyors, tax advisers), Property (boundary disputes, landlord & tenant, property management), Shareholders, Regulatory (government agencies, local authorities), Universities

Examples of disputes mediated

• Contractual dispute between a sports clothing manufacturer and a well known football club.  The club terminated the contract with the manufacturer.  The manufacturer claimed substantial damages for repudiation.  The club counter-claimed for losses caused by overcharging and quality issues.
• Claims for breach of contract, proprietary estoppel and quantum meruit arising from a property development agreement entered into by the claimant and the defendant (which subsequently went into members’ voluntary liquidation).
• Contractual dispute between a local authority and a contractor which involved allegations of fraud.
• a dispute arising from a worldwide re-branding project;
• the issue of ownership of a regional holiday website and associated issues;
• a dispute between a worldwide pharmaceutical company and a medical kit manufacturer
• A 13 year long dispute between an offshore bank and two customers.  The bank had wrongly paid out a substantial sum of money from the customers account (because of forged instructions) but alleged that the customers were part of the fraud.
• All issues of costs following the trial of a substantial number of actions.  The successful parties at trial were claiming costs of £7m.
• A claim for professional negligence brought by a furniture company against an insurance broker for losses suffered following the repudiation of its insurance by the insurance company.
• The numerous and challenging ramifications of a draft High Court judgment were mediated the day before the judgment was due to be formally handed down.
• A contractual claim arising from a worldwide re-branding project.
• A protracted and personal dispute between the outgoing trustees and the incoming trustees of a political club/ association relating to an indemnity for costs and expenses incurred by the outgoing members.
• A dispute between a well known national charity and one of its branch members.  The national association commenced proceedings against the branch for recovery of premises said to belong to the national association.  In addition there were wider membership issues which could not be resolved as part of the proceedings.  All the litigation and membership issues were resolved.
• Competition law proceedings between a car manufacturer and a dealership.
• A claim against a national firm of accountants for losses arising from the negligent implementation of a tax scheme.

Paul has a creative, constructive and flexible approach to the resolution of disputes.  His approach is based on thoughtful preparation, excellent rapport/ communication skills, and a tenacity to focus parties on finding a solution.

Some feedback includes:

“…He was sensational.  Paul was the most accomplished mediator I’ve ever come across and I’ve done lots.  He was very enthusiastic.  I was impressed by his knowledge and speed.  He got right to the nub of the problem within 25 minutes.  He cut through all the usual crap and blockages and we were all wrapped up by 6pm.  He was charming, very good with the clients and very professional with the professionals.”

 “…I have been involved in possibly as many as 15 mediations involving very substantial sums, often in cases where feelings between the parties are running at a very high level.  Your approach, which combined persistence with “friendly diplomacy” makes you probably the most effective mediator I have yet to encounter.  I would certainly recommend you to any practitioner seeking mediation assistance.”

“…Please pass on our thanks to Paul, whose professionalism, calmness and expertise engineered a settlement that looked impossible before and for most of the day.”

“…Paul’s style was friendly and laid back but he was very tenacious towards the end of the mediation day.”

“Just a short note to thank you for the tremendous effort, commitment and enthusiasm that you applied together with considerable experience and negotiating skills in achieving a successful outcome of what on any analysis was a very bitter and acrimonious dispute … Both my client & I were delighted with your efforts during the day and in particular your incisive approach to getting a deal …”

 “Paul structured the day well and reality tested our client thoroughly.”

“He has a friendly and open style.  He is informal, but always has his eye on the ball and he is approachable.”

 “His courteous, patient and realistic approach to the mediation assisted in no small degree to the outcome.”

“I write to thank you for your mediation skills, without which I do not believe an agreement could have been reached between the parties.”

 “I felt that the manner in which you carried out the mediation was very professional … you were magic …”

“… you are the best mediator I have worked with …”

 “… we thought there was no chance of the dispute being settled at the mediation.  The fact that it did settle, is possibly the best compliment we can make about how you mediated the dispute… we were very impressed …”

“… we thought the manner in which you approached the mediation was brilliant …”

 “…Once again, I thought you did an excellent job …”

“… we [both opposing leading counsel at the mediation] thought you were outstanding and would definitely recommend you and work with you again …”

 “We were very impressed with Paul’s skills as a mediator.  It was his tenacity that kept the parties negotiating towards a settlement.  The parties have been in dispute for many years and it was his determination that kept everyone at the negotiation table.  We believe that without his tenacity the dispute would have continued at considerable cost to both parties.  Paul’s affable manner belies his steely determination and intelligence.  I would highly recommend Paul as mediator in even the most difficult disputes.”

Personal Background ...

Paul and his wife Samantha live in Chester and spend as much time as possible in beautiful West Wales. His interests are varied. They range from surviving on a snowboard, music, photography, learning to play the guitar and above all coping with the pleasure and pain of supporting the Wales rugby union team.

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