Mediation can be a wonderful way to resolve conflict :Thomas P. Valenti Attorney,

Our editorial team( Apeksha Sanjay)  got a chance to catch up with Thomas P. Valenti Attorney, . Here we are glad to present the interview on our website.
Tom Valenti is a Chicago based conflict resolution specialist offering mediation, arbitration, and facilitation services and training, globally. A certified mediator, Tom has conducted numerous mediations involving civil, commercial, interpersonal and workplace matters. He has mediated and trained extensively, both nationally and internationally, in jurisdictions all over the world.
Tom is a member of several Bar Associations, including the American, Chicago, Illinois and Indian Bar, and is a co-founder and former Board Member of Mediation Beyond Borders. With a passion for mediation, highlighted by the many qualifications Tom holds in the field, Tom is a dedicated and talented mediator. AAA and ABNA Neutral, he is also a Neutral Arbitrator and Mediator for the National Arbitration Forum and Center For Resolution.
A member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Tom Valenti is also an Arbitrator on the Public Panel at FINRA and is an approved Arbitrator and Mediator for several governmental and regulatory bodies, including the Circuit Court of Cook County, The National Arbitration Forum and is on the Advisory Board for The Association of Mediation Assessors, Trainers and Instructors.
Extensively trained himself in all aspects of dispute resolution, Tom’s accreditations include Conflict Transformation Skills Training, focusing on Systems Dynamics, ABA International Family Mediation Training including Hague Convention Child Abduction cases, Circuit Cook County Annexed Arbitration and Mediation Training Programs. Tom also holds a Mediation Certification at The Institute for Conflict Management, and is a Board Member and Trainer at The International Academy of Dispute Resolution.
Tom’s interests include the Athens Migration Dialogue Project, of which he is Co-Leader. The project helps local communities to design, organize and conduct dialogues that address difficult and dangerous issues, such as migration and violence in schools. He also led the Hurricane Katrina Project in New Orleans, LA and Biloxi, MS, which involved training area NGOs to help them improve their skills and develop community mediation programs.
Having a keen interest in the Middle East and the cultivation of mediation systems across the world, Tom has also worked with the Middle East Peace Initiative. Collaborating with the Pluralistic Spirituality Center Project, he oversaw the development of an Israeli-Arab and Jewish co-mediation approach and service to mediate community dialogue in an Israeli Jewish and Palestinian peace village, Neve Shalom Wahat Al Salam (NSWAS).
Training the world’s future mediators is also important to Tom.Training others to mediate is central to Tom’s belief that alternative dispute resolution is a powerful force for good. Working with The International Academy of Dispute Resolution (INADR), a charitable organisation created to develop an understanding of the benefits of mediation amongst law students, Tom has travelled to the UK, Dubai, India and Europe to deliver mediation training for students. He is also an International Mediation Institute’s Mentor to Youth.
Apeksha Sanjay : Why according to you has the practice Arbitration and Mediation experienced an upsurge within a decade?
Tom : With regard to Mediation, disputants have realized that the cost of litigation is often disproportionate to the potential recovery, so they look for a more efficient process. Also , since many disputants are looking at very long timelines to get a matter to resolution in Court, they see that mediation can shorten that considerably.
With regard to Arbitration, globalization has resulted any many cross-border transactions, where arbitration has always been the favored dispute resolution choice in order to ensure a fair process, enforceability and collectability.
Apeksha Sanjay: How in your view can this alternate dispute resolution method seem to prevail over Litigation?
Tom: Mediation can be a wonderful way to resolve conflict and diffuse a protracted dispute. So, what benefits does it offer?
Mediation is less expensive when compared with litigation and other adversarial systems. It is faster than conventional court processes and allows for quicker resolution of matters and a rapid settlement.
Agreements can be tailored to your needs: mediation allows you to fine-tune any agreement you make, so that matters both legal and non legal can be considered and clarified.
Apeksha Sanjay: Arbitrationis an effective tool to resolve disputes. Why?
Tom: An effectively managed arbitration should be less expensive when compared with litigation.
Mediation is less expensive when compared with litigation and other adversarial systems.
Apeksha Sanjay: What impediments does an Arbitrator have to go through in this occupation?
Tom: I think the largest impediments are:
Gaining sufficient expertise to be appointed to a tribunal, or a panel.
Keeping up to date on the applicable laws, process rules, and procedures.
Managing one’s calendar when working internationally .
Apeksha Sanjay: What is the scope of choosing Arbitration as a career for a fresh law graduate considering the present scenario?
Tom: I do not think a fresh law student should choose a career as an Arbitrator, but first to develop a practice as an advocate in arbitrations, where one’s skills can be developed, and a network of referrals can be developed after a sufficient time practicing.
Apeksha Sanjay: What will be your word of advice for graduates setting there sight on Arbitration and Mediation as a career option?
Tom: Develop good knowledge and skills in order to assess and advise clients about all of the available dispute resolution methodologies, so that a proper recommendation can be made for that particular client and the particular matter on which you have been consulted.
Read, read, read to keep up to date on the trends in each field.
Write for blogs and journals so that you become known as a resource in these dispute resolution fields.
Speak at bar association and community events so that you become known as a resource in these dispute resolution fields.
 
Apeksha, a second year law student at Chanakya National Law University and completed her schooling from Delhi Public School. She is an amicable person by nature and can easily adapt to new surroundings and ideas. She has a keen eye for details and an avid believer of human interaction.