Al Hudaiba Awards Building, Block C, M Floor, 2nd December intersection, Jumeirah St Dubai
40
Certificato
English Edition & Arabic Edition: new dates available soon!
ADR Center International Accredited Mediator Training
In person in Dubai - English or Arabic Edition
A 40-hour training programme designed for professionals seeking internationally recognised mediation credentials | Built on over 27 years of full-time mediation practice | Leads to SOLVE-Trained Mediator Status, eligible for being recognized as IMI-Qualified Mediators by the International Mediation Institute | Includes post-training supervised practice opportunities
- 40 hours training - Conducted in English or Arabic
- IMI Recognized Mediator Training Program (RMTP)
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English Edition: 5 sessions 8 hours each
Arabic Edition: 8 sessions 5 hours each
- Accredited by The Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department (12 CLPD points)
Trained with ADR Center Academy
27
Years of experience
Since 1998, ADR Center has been training and updating mediators in Italy and abroad. The ADR Center “4 Steps” method is the result of 27 years of training and development on thousands of real-life procedures.
10+
Expert Trainers-Mediators
Each course is taught by mediators-trainers who manage procedures every day. They’re not academic theorists: they’re professionals who bring regulatory updates and real-world cases to the classroom.
7K+
Mediations per year
ADR Center closes more than 7000 mediations per year thanks to our professional mediators
Become an ADR Center International SOLVE-Trained Mediator with IMI Recognition
Are you thinking about building a career in the dispute resolution sector and getting trained in mediation?
This training program has been approved as an IMI Recognized Mediator Training
Program (RMTP) – to deliver training in-person.
RMTPs deliver high-quality mediator training that meets the international standards established by the International Mediation Institute (IMI) and recognized by intergovernmental standard-setting bodies, such as the CEPEJ. These standards are independent measures of quality and are created in consultation with stakeholders and practitioners around the world, under the guidance of IMI Task Forces.
A trainee who successfully completes an IMI RMTP may be referred to as an “IMI RMTP Graduate.” Such graduates are eligible to apply for listing as an IMI Qualified Mediator within five years of program completion, subject to meeting IMI’s requirements.
The ADR Center International Accredited Mediator Training is a 40-hour mediation course that equips professionals with the knowledge, methodology and practical skills to operate as accredited mediators in civil, commercial and cross-border disputes. On completion, successful participants receive the ADR Center International SOLVE-Trained Mediator Certificate confirming competency for navigating the mediation process in line with the SOLVE Mediation Methodology. Given that the SOLVE mediation training program is a Recognized Mediator Training Program by the International Mediation Institute (IMI), the graduates will also be eligible to register with IMI as IMI Qualified Mediators.
What sets this programme apart:
- The programme is led by full-time practitioners who collectively manage over 7,000 mediations per year and have been training mediators across five continents for over 28 years;
- Every session is built on real case experience – not academic theory – using the proprietary ADR Center SOLVE 5×5 Mediation Methodology, a structured framework covering all five stages of the mediation process: Set the stage, Open the process, Listen and understand, Validate options and Enable resolution;
- Unlike most online mediation training providers, ADR Center Academy offers eligible graduates the opportunity to continue developing their practice through post-training shadowing, coaching and supervised practice – an invaluable step between completing a course and conducting your first live mediation;
- Participants also receive one-year access to ADR Center Academy’s virtual library, an ever-growing repository of resources, articles and case studies.
Dates & Time
English Edition
New dates available soon!
Arabic Edition
New dates available soon!
Who Should Attend
This accredited mediation training is designed for professionals who want to build or expand a mediation practice, or who need internationally recognised dispute resolution credentials for their existing role. Typical participants include:
Lawyers and barristers
Seeking to add mediation to their practice or meet CPD requirements with internationally recognised credentials
HR professionals and people managers
Looking to resolve workplace disputes effectively and prevent costly litigation
Corporate executives and legal counsel
Wanting structured skills to manage commercial disputes internally
NGO staff, diplomats and public officials
Working in conflict-sensitive environments who need a formal mediation qualification
Academics and researchers
In law, conflict resolution or social sciences building a practical qualification alongside their theoretical work
Career changers
Professionals from any sector considering dispute resolution as a primary or supplementary career path
No prior mediation experience is required. Participants are expected to have professional-level English proficiency.
Corsi su misura per enti e organismi: ADR Center si mette a disposizione di Camere di Commercio, Ordini Forensi e altri organismi di mediazione per creare offerte formative ad hoc valide ai fini dell’aggiornamento normativo. Per richieste: academy@adrcenter.com
Full Programme
Pre-training individual work – Learning style inventory – Response to conflict style – Individual preparation
- Participants will be enrolled in ADR Center Academy (LMS), where they will be able to access course information and start their preparation
- They will be able to engage ADR Center’s trainers through videoconference or asynchronous lessons
- Course materials will be uploaded on the Academy and accessible for all training participants throughout the entire training
Welcome and mediation fundamentals
- Participants will be engaged in a practical exercise that will challenge their assumptions related to the role of the mediator
- Conflict analysis techniques, alternative dispute resolution processes, principles, and stages of mediation will be discussed in detail
- At the end of the first training day, participants will observe and discuss a mediation demonstration
- Participants will be presented with the core competency areas and related skills of a professional mediator
Negotiation theory
- Participants will learn that the role of a mediator is to facilitate a negotiation process
- They will learn basic negotiation knowledge, theories, and skills
- Two fundamentally different approaches will be explored:
- Distributive (adversarial, positional, competitive): typically experienced in the marketplace when “haggling” for simple goods or services
- Integrative (problem-solving, interest-based, collaborative): requires a deeper understanding of what the parties need to move forward successfully
- Learning will take place through practice sessions, presentations, plenary, and small group discussions
Mediation Stages 1 and 2: Set the stage and Open the process
- Participants will be taught the first two stages of ADR Center’s 5×5 SOLVE Mediation model: “Set the stage” and “Open the process”
- Each stage will be presented with its own “TASKS”: targets, activities, strategies, keys and skills; common mistakes and a “did I achieve my goals checklist”
- Trainers are full-time practitioners bringing significant experience, as ADR Center manages more than 7,000 mediations per year
- Significant time will be allocated to role-playing, simulation, and debriefing to develop mediation skills
Mediation Stages 3 and 4: Listen and understand and Validate options
- The training program will focus on the third and fourth stages of the SOLVE mediation model
- Trainers will underline why private sessions are essential and how they can best stimulate further progress
- The day will be divided into two parts: initial (exploration) or Listen and understand and later (negotiation) or Validate options, with the same TASKS structure used on the previous day
- Communication and facilitation skills needed for mediators during this stage will be discussed
- Participants will have ample opportunities to role-play and practice both sessions to develop mediation skills
Mediation Stage 5: Enable resolution and Mediation Ethics
- Participants will discuss and practice the fifth, closing phase: the role of the mediator in facilitating S.M.A.R.T. agreements and ensuring a responsible exit from the mediation process
- A specifically designed case study will be used to practice the related mediation skills
- Mediation ethics will also be discussed, as ethics and integrity lie at the very core of the work of a mediator
- Specific information will be included on: cultural dimensions, a gender-diverse approach to mediation, and managing impasse, such as, for example, power imbalances, threats and reprisals
- The day ends with a final mediation simulation of a complex case
Post-training Individual Work – Individual reading – Course feedback – Shadowing and Coaching
- Participants will be invited to provide course feedback through ADR Center Academy
- They will be encouraged to read articles and books included in the recommended reading list
- ADR Center offers shadowing and coaching opportunities (“supervised practice”) depending on the context and when possible
- Participants will be established and included in a “global community of practice” to facilitate networking and the ongoing transfer of good practices
Download the course brochure
Trainers
Leonardo D'Urso
Leonardo D’Urso is a full-time mediator, co-founder and CEO of ADR Center, Adjunct Professor at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University (Malibu, CA, USA) and member of the Board of Directors of the Weinstein International Foundation – Mediating a Better Future. With more than 25 years’ experience in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution, he has mediated over 2,000 complex civil and commercial mediations, workplace disputes and facilitated various public dialogue processes.
Costantin-Adi Gavrila
Constantin Adi Gavrilă is a full-time professional mediator, CEO and founder of ADR Center Romania, and Weinstein International Foundation Senior Fellow. With extensive experience since 2002, he has supported individuals, groups, companies, governments and international organisations in resolving a wide variety of domestic and international disputes. Adi has trained more than 1,000 mediators and has provided consultancy services to beneficiaries and governments from more than 20 countries to design and develop mediation programmes.
Zeinab Jaafar
Zeinab is a qualified Lebanese lawyer with over 15 years of professional experience in the legal field across Belgium and Lebanon. She is an accredited mediator with the Federal Mediation Commission in Belgium (CFM), as well as with the ADR Centre and the IMI. She holds two master’s degrees: one in International Law and another in Domestic and International Arbitration from the University of Montpellier, France. In addition, she holds a certification in European Law Studies from the University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Zeinab has worked as a mediator in several institutions in Antwerp, Belgium, like LFIA where she contributed to numerous initiatives focused on conflict prevention and on empowering parties in conflict to find amicable solutions. She is also an ICF-certified Coach in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and is the founder of ZMediation in Belgium, through which she has provided professional training and coaching services in partnership with renowned institutions such as Prana Mental Excellence.
Her approach is innovative and transformative, combining her expertise in law, mediation, and coaching. She offers her services in three languages: Arabic, French, and English. Currently based in Dubai, Zeinab works as a partner mediator at Al Safar & Partners Law Firm. She is also an ADR Trainer and teaches mediation studies to university students in Lebanon.
Zouhdi Yakan
Zouhdi is a skilled mediator and legal professional with over two decades of experience in the UAE and abroad. He holds an LL.M. in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University (2004) and is CEDR-accredited. As Partner in charge at Shaikha Almehrzi Advocates & Legal Consultants (Law House), he leads the firm’s arbitration and ADR practice, specializing in corporate, commercial, construction, and banking law, and represents clients in resolving disputes through out-of-court settlements.
He has mediated and co-mediated numerous disputes as a volunteer with the California Academy for Mediation Professionals (CAMP) in Los Angeles, within the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s mediation programs. He trained under leading U.S. mediators, including Lee Jay Berman (American Institute of Mediation) and Richard Chernick (JAMS), gaining practical insight into complex mediations across diverse practice areas. He also co-trained a 40-hour Mediation Training Program with the ABA and Pepperdine University in Jordan.
He serves on the mediation panels of ADGM, SCCA, and LAMC, sits on the Advisory Council of The Mediation Hub MENA, speaks regularly at international conferences, and contributes actively to the ADR field through publishing and thought leadership.
Training Team — ADR Center Academy
The faculty of ADR Center Academy includes highly experienced mediators and trainers — mostly from the ADR Center Global panel — with years of international experience in the field of ADR and a proven track record of successfully mediating complex cross-border disputes as well as designing and delivering training courses all over the world.
Registration and costs
The course registration fee is AED 17.500 (€ 4.170) per person (+VAT depending on country of residence).
Upon confirmation of registration, payment of registration fee will be required.
FAQ
What qualification do I receive at the end of the mediation training?
What is the difference between an IMI Qualified and an IMI Certified Mediator?
Do I need any prior experience to attend this mediation course?
What post-training support does ADR Center offer?
How is the training structured across the lessons?
What is the return policy?
The organizers reserve the right to cancel the course and in such case, all fees paid will be fully refunded.
ADR Center reserves the right to change dates or instructors.
Certifications and Credits
- ADR Center International Accredited Mediator Training: the certificate carries international accreditation from the International Mediation Institute (IMI) as a Certified Mediator Training Program (CMTP). This qualifies graduates for submission to IMI as IMI Qualified Mediators – the internationally recognised standard for trained mediators beginning their professional mediation career.
- Accredited by The Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department: 12 CLPD points to be awarded upon successful completion of the course.
- Held under ADR Center Global’s Educational Services Permit issued by the Department of Economic Development (DED) – Professional and Management Development Training released through the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
IMI Qualified vs IMI Certified: understanding the two levels
An IMI Qualified Mediator has completed a quality initial training programme recognised by IMI (a CMTP) — the outcome of this course. An IMI Certified Mediator is a more experienced practitioner (200+ mediation hours or 20+ cases) who has additionally passed an independent skills assessment through an IMI Qualifying Assessment Program (QAP). IMI Certification is the next step for mediators who go on to build an active practice after qualifying.
Past Editions
ENGLISH/ARABIC EDITION – SOLD OUT
Dubai – English/Arabic Edition: 10, 17 & 18 November and 8 & 9 December 2025 (in person)
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ARABIC EDITION – SOLD OUT
Dubai – 11, 19 & 20 November and 10 & 11 December 2025 (in person)
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ENGLISH EDITION
Dubai – 16, 23, 24, 30 April & 1 May 2025 (in person)
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ENGLISH EDITION – SOLD OUT
Dubai – 23, 24, 31 October & 7, 14, 21, 26 November 2024 (hybrid in person & on-line)
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ARABIC EDITION – SOLD OUT
Dubai, 21-22-30 October and 6-13-20-25 November 2024 (hybrid in person & on-line)
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ENGLISH EDITION – SOLD OUT
Dubai – 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 April 2024 (in person)
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ENGLISH EDITION – SOLD OUT
Dubai, 27, 28 February & 6, 7, 13 March 2023 (in person)
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ARABIC EDITION – SOLD OUT
Dubai, 1, 2, 8, 9 and 15 March 2023 (in person)
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ARABIC EDITION – SOLD OUT
Dubai, 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 May 2023 (in person)
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ENGLISH EDITION – SOLD OUT
Dubai, 24, 25, 26, 31 October & 1 November 2022 (in person)
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ARABIC EDITION – SOLD OUT
Dubai, 27, 28 October & 2, 3, 4 November 2022 (in person)
Contact us!
In presenza
Al Hudaiba Awards Building, Block C, M Floor, 2nd December intersection, Jumeirah St Dubai
40h Totali
