The funds will be used to further develop an online alternative dispute resolution (ADR) platform for practitioners across the UK and Ireland.
The growing dispute resolution industry has moved online in response to COVID-19, and now offers alternative dispute resolution remotely.
CCODR is benchmarked to Chartered Trading Standards Institute standards.
The online platform offers end-to-end encryption, a full suite of case management tools, encrypted uploading and file-sharing, and digital billing integration.
Geographical locations
The platform will help ADR practitioners to seek work beyond their geographical locations while also reducing commuting costs.
John Keers is a co-founder of CCODR and Ulster University LLM course director.
He said: “Dispute resolution practitioners have found themselves plunged into a world where they can no longer travel nor meet clients.
“In a desperate attempt to work, practitioners have resorted to the only medium available – non-compliant, inadequate and security compromised social media platforms.
“COVID-19 has inadvertently created an environment in which transformational change can be embedded, as the industry now understands the consequences of the over-reliance it previously placed on face-to-face practices.”
Best practice
He said the grant funds will be used to ensure that mediators and ADR practitioners are adopting best practice as they take their work online.
Barrister John Keers points out that, prior to the pandemic, the industry was experiencing significant challenges including variable outcomes, non-standard approaches, and drawn-out, time-consuming and costly processes driven by outdated working practices.
For more information on the Consumer Code for Online Dispute Resolution, visit www.ccodr.com.