Business

Dispute resolution firm secures Innovate UK grant

CCODR mediator and co-founder Gary Lyons and director Aaron Moore (Clever Fulton Rankin Solicitors) with barrister and mediator John Keers
CCODR mediator and co-founder Gary Lyons and director Aaron Moore (Clever Fulton Rankin Solicitors) with barrister and mediator John Keers CCODR mediator and co-founder Gary Lyons and director Aaron Moore (Clever Fulton Rankin Solicitors) with barrister and mediator John Keers

THE team behind the recently-established Consumer Code for Online Dispute Resolution (CCODR) in Belfast has secured £50,000 in funding from the £20m Innovate UK grant scheme following a competitive process.

They will use the funds to better equip CCODR to provide an innovative online solution for alternative dispute resolution practitioners across the UK and Ireland.

As a consequence of the Covid-19 lockdown and social distancing measures, the growing dispute resolution industry – work traditionally done face-to-face – has been severely impacted.

CCODR’s secure online platform enables practitioners to seek out work beyond their geographical locations, reducing costs and commute times, and also enables parties to participate in online dispute resolution remotely.

John Keers, co-founder of CCODR and course director of LLM in international commercial law & ADR at Ulster University, said: “Dispute resolution practitioners have found themselves plunged into a world where they can no longer travel nor meet clients.

“In a desperate attempt to work, practitioners have resorted to the only medium available - non-compliant, inadequate and security compromised social media platforms.

“Covid-19 has inadvertently created an environment in which transformational change can be embedded, as the industry now understands the consequences of the over-reliance it previously placed on face-to-face practices.

“Our success in the Innovate UK funding application and the investment in our recently-launched project will enable us to reach mediators and ADR practitioners across the UK and Ireland to ensure they are adopting best practice as they take their work online.”