Karl Mackie

Practice Areas

Key Sectors include the following:

• Banking & Finance

• Commercial Contracts

• Construction & Engineering

• Clinical Negligence

• Employment & Workplace

• Energy & Natural Resources

• ICT

• Insurance

• Intellectual Property Media & Entertainment Partnership & Shareholder Private Client Professional Negligence

• Property

• Public Sector

• Sale of Goods & Services

• Sports

• Transportation

• Utilities

Karl is particularly valued in complex business disputes and in cases where there are difficult issues, sensitive politics, personality clashes, multiple parties or cultural challenges. As well as a regular stream of commercial contract, employment and government cases, he has mediated disputes in international infrastructure, energy, insurance, shareholder and Board disputes, property, family trusts, financial services, media and sports. He is regularly engaged for troubleshooting work as a mediator or consultant in team, organisational or union-management disputes.

Karl's most recent innovatory work has been in mediating between multinationals and human rights organisations, including the dispute between WWF and the SOCO International Oil Company over drilling in the first UNESCO World Heritage Site at Virunga National Park. He has also been appointed on independent investigations and inquiries in employment and corporate governance matters.

Career

Karl Mackie has been recognised by Chambers and Legal 500 as "one of mediation's biggest names", ranked as a top leading mediator and described in The Lawyer as one of the top 100 most influential lawyers in the UK. He brings an unparalleled depth and breadth of experience to commercial mediation, and has worked for over 25 years across domestic and international cases and in a huge range of business, public sector and private client matters. With a unique combination of commercial know how, psychologist, barrister, and 25 years of specialist negotiation experience, Karl Mackie brings diverse talents to breaking impasse alongside a calm approach to handling difficult situations.

Karl has also been Special Professor at the Universities of Birmingham and Westminster; eminent Overseas Judge for 1st South Africa ADR Awards; Former Vice-Chair of Civil Mediation Council and Chief Adjudicator of Ofsted Independent Complaints Adjudication Service since 2009.

Professional Memberships

Karl is on many national and international panels including:

• ACAS Panel of Independent Mediators and Arbitrators

• CIETAC panel of international mediators

• Court of Appeal Mediation Scheme

• CPR Institute Panel of Distinguished Neutrals in New York

• Singapore International Commercial Mediator Panel

• Mediator - United Nations Management/Staff Committee

• Arbitrator/Mediator for all disputes in a major UK Government Department

• Mediator Panel, Netherlands Arbitration Institute, Schiphol Airport

Identified by The Lawyer as one of the top 100 most influential lawyers, and by The Times as “Mr Mediation”. Member of the Advisory Council of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict; Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; an Ombudsman in Euronext financial services disputes. He has also been Special Professor at the Universities of Birmingham and Westminster; eminent Overseas Judge for 1st South Africa ADR Awards; Former Vice-Chair of Civil Mediation Council and Chief Adjudicator of Ofsted Independent Complaints Adjudication Service since 2009.

In 2010 he became the only mediator ever to be given an honour by the state, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), for services to mediation, both developing and delivering it. He is probably the best known commercial mediator in the UK.

Publications

Karl is co-author with Eileen Carroll KC (Hon) of : “International Mediation: Removing Deadlock” (Bloomsbury, 2016) and “The Mediator’s Tale: The CEDR Story of Better Conflicts” (Bloomsbury, 2020).

Karl has also co-authored leading texts in the field including The EU Mediation Atlas, The ADR Practice Guide (3rd ed.) and International Mediation- the Art of Business Diplomacy (2nd ed.), as well as contributing two chapters in Butterworth’s Mediators on Mediation.

Karl is regularly requested to deliver major strategic presentations on negotiation, breaking deadlock and conflict resolution, he has spoken at Law Society and Bar Council annual conferences, CBI, European Commission, Council of Europe, World Bank, and been interviewed for several radio and TV programmes including Today, Business Tonight, BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 5 live (on football manager club disputes), The World at One, BBC TV News, The Moral Maze and Night Waves, as well as being interviewed for the Financial Times.

Clients

Feedback regularly praises Karl for his ability to relate to clients and for the speed with which he grasps difficult issues, alongside his ability to balance toughness with diplomacy as a "firm and effective' mediator who can "keep things moving without imposing". His "calm and confident" approach "inspires trust" among his clients and his ability to "repeatedly but subtly reality test" is highly valued. With over 25 years' experience of mediating globally Karl has worked with clients from diverse backgrounds and cultures from family businesses to governments, and clients have complimented him on his ability for fast thinking, numeracy, his capacity to master and frame complex issues in a short time and his ability to move negotiations along.

Feedback - Clients

• "...many thanks for the impartial and professional support that you have provided to [us] throughout this process."

Client, UK

• "When you have what I would class as the leading mediator in the country then you know you will have no cause for complaint."

London partner of US law firm, commercial contract case

• "By far a light but firm hand ... totally abreast of what was on the parties' minds."

General counsel, pharmaceuticals distribution, Japanese-European contract claim

• "As expected - quite forceful and we cut to the chase quicker than I had been used to and Karl played a large part in that."

Partner, regional practice probate case

• "I was very happy that we managed to get past the impasse and I think that was down to Karl. He read people well and judged the situation perfectly."

Client, Pharmaceuticals contract, Scotland

• "The key element was the involvement of Karl who had a great wealth of experience and knowledge. Karl knew when to bring the parties together and when to have them apart. Thought Karl was calm, pragmatic, sensible, robust, and not shy of suggesting where there could be more possibilities."

General counsel, distribution company contract

• "Your calming style helped to establish the standard for behaviour and it was notable how you steered us to focus on finding a solution and away from comparing our respective interpretations of how we had reached this sad point."

Client ICT Dispute

• "One of his strengths is moving the negotiations on and being fairly direct with people."

Partner, city firm, construction and engineering case

• "We are very pleased with the mediation, as was our client. Karl's persistence paid off, he was firm, dogged, focused and able to 'cut through the parties' whinging'. We also felt he was patient and forthright. We have been involved in many mediations and would definitely rate Karl at the top."

Partner, city firm, distribution agreement

Experience

Karl qualified both as a barrister and as an occupational psychologist, then spent the second half of his career as founding CEO of CEDR, driving its development and recognition as an international conflict consultancy and leading ADR institution. His work in co-founding CEDR and in successful major mediations, led to him being the first and only commercial mediator to receive recognition with the award of a CBE, Commander of the British Empire, in 2010.

As Former Chief Executive of CEDR, and since 2017 as CEDR’s Founder President, Karl has been actively engaged with numerous multinational corporations, Governments, public bodies, charities and celebrity clients, in Europe, the US, the Middle East and the Far East, South America and Australia.

He has strong experience as a business consultant and in his time with CEDR, acted as Consultant or overseen consultancy to World Bank, European Commission and other international project sponsors on business and civil justice system development, with various sovereign governments and civil justice systems including India, Pakistan, Bosnia Herzegovina, China, Denmark, Holland, Qatar and others. He has also worked with various public bodies (FSA, ACAS), government departments (Business, Health, Transport, Community and Planning, Education, Overseas development, Procurement) and industry associations (railways, retail, motor manufacturers, patent and trademarks, insurance, sports etc.) in the development of dispute systems design.