Code of Conduct

Gayle Roberts and Camel Mediation (a trading name of Coach & Legal Ltd) follow the EU Model Code of Conduct for Mediators.  The EU Model Code of Conduct for Mediators can be accessed by using this link:

http://ec.europa.eu/civiljustice/adr/adr_ec_code_conduct_en.pdf

Should you have a complaint to or against me

This applies to anyone who has been involved in a mediation (including any pre-mediation meeting or correspondence)  that I have conducted including Participants, Counsel, Solicitors, Litigation Friends and Supporters. It does not include observers.

Please get in contact if you are not happy with any part of the service you receive from me or if you want to make a complaint and I will do my best to put things right.  

My procedure for complaints is as follows:

Applying the principles of mediation, I believe that many issues can be resolved by a conversation. Where possible, we’ll speak at an early stage, and this is covered below. But to comply with all formalities, here’s how we’ll process your complaint from start to finish:

Initial steps:

1. To avoid any misunderstandings of what your complaint is about, please set out the details of your complaint via email.  You can use the Contact page of this website or you can email direct to gayle@camelmediation.com. It will help me deal with your complaint quickly if you can type ‘complaint’ and your name in the subject heading. If you are happy to try and deal with your complaint over the phone, or via remote video (such as zoom) please give me three convenient dates and times within the next two weeks for me to try and co-ordinate my diary with yours. Please provide the best telephone number or your preferred remote method of video communication.
2. Providing you have clearly marked ‘complaint’ in your subject heading, it will be acknowledged within 48 hours of receipt. If you have not marked your email as  ‘complaint’ in the subject heading, forgive me, I may miss the urgency and will aim to respond within 5  working days of receipt.  
3. Within 5 working days, I will contact you to arrange a time to speak. The purpose of speaking will be to try and explore with you the details of the complaint so I leaver the call with a thorough understanding to move forward to a resolution. I will follow this call up with a summary of what has been said within 48 hours. You can then comment and correct the summary should you feel it is not accurate in any way.
4. Once we have agreed the summary, I will act on any agreed corrective action. I will aim to do this within 7 days, where it is possible to do so. Some corrective actions may need the involvement of others, and where this is the case, I will work as quickly as I can.

Where initial steps do not resolve issues for you:

1. We need a formal meeting. I will invite you to attend a meeting with me at a mutually convenient time. I will have a legal advisor or other supporter, and you may choose to have one too. We will further explore the compliant and try to agree resolution. If we can agree resolution, this will be put in writing, along with timescales, and signed by me and you, or our advisors before the end of the meeting. If part – or all – of that resolution is an apology, I will aim to provide that apology to you within 48 hours.
2. In exceptional circumstances, I may ask for your agreement to extend the time period to respond to your complaint by up to 21 days. You do not have to agree to this.

Escalation to governing body

1. If our formal meeting does not result in resolution, I will ask the Society of Mediators to consider the matter and they will apply their procedures to your complaint.
2. Finally, if you are still not satisfied with how your complaint has been handled by me, you can appeal to the Civil Mediation Council ("the CMC") as final arbitrator within 1 month of the conclusion of consideration of your complaint by us, or within 6 months from when the events giving rise to the original complaint occurred. Details of the CMC's appeal processes can be found here.

My overriding aim is to avoid complaints from arising by adhering and always striving to improve to a principle of great service. Any complaint will be given full and fair consideration and you will receive a detailed response in an efficient and timely manner.  I will take on board, and learn from any complaint, and my aim will always be to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction. I have a log set up to receive and keep a record of any and all complaints against me.

Feedback

Feedback is wonderful and I am always grateful for it, good or bad. I recognise that it takes time to offer feedback, and I will benefit from it. Please be candid and bold with feedback, and I promise all feedback will be reviewed and where appropriate I will act upon it to continually try to improve my service to you where I can.