A great authoritative text on the law and practise of dispute resolution in Australia for practitioners and students alike.

Principles of Dispute Resolution Fourth Edition explains the philosophy, theory and practise of dispute resolution in Australia.

The Fourth Edition has been updated with the latest amended legislation and new case law. Further, new commentary and materials have been added on the origins of dispute resolution; the Singapore and New York Conventions; family dispute resolution; online dispute resolution; artificial intelligence; mandatory orders for dispute resolution; drafting settlement agreements; and the new Australian Mediator and Dispute Resolution System which replaces the former National Mediation Accreditation System Practice and Approval Standards.

David Spencer is a leading researcher and writer on the development of the law of dispute resolution in Australia. He has been researching and writing on dispute resolution for over 30 years and is the Co-General Editor and Case Notes Editor of the Australasian Dispute Resolution Journal. He is a solicitor, academic and mediator and therefore, brings a theoretical and practical focus to the practise of dispute resolution.

Topics covered by this work include:

• What is conflict and dispute resolution?
• Negotiation
• Mediation
• Arbitration
• Additional DR processes such as: conciliation; partnering; dispute advisers and review boards; and, adjudication, appraisals and determinations
• Jurisdictionally specific hybrid processes, such as: family dispute resolution and collaborative law; restorative justice; hybrid and combined processes; and, online dispute resolution
• Statutory and court-annexed dispute resolution schemes
• Legal issues, such as: mandatory court orders for DR; confidentiality; privilege; immunity; enforceability of settlement agreements; and, the drafting of settlement agreements and dispute resolution clauses
• Ethics and standards
• A glimpse into the future of DR

Written in plain English, this text is a valuable guidebook to help students and practitioners alike understand the theory and practise of dispute resolution in Australia.

LECTURER RESOURCES

To support lecturers, the following resources are available for each chapter:

• Powerpoint Slides
• Chapter Summaries
• Scenario-based Questions
• Short Answer Questions
• Multiple Choice Questions

Resources are only available to lecturers who have prescribed Principles of Dispute Resolution (4th ed, 2024). See below for access details.