Negotiator, David Small has been fine-tuning his persuasion skills as part of a nationwide drive to reduce courtroom drama.

A litigation lawyer with Charles Lucas & Marshall, David has just completed a training course in Community and Neighbour Mediation which will lead to an accreditation with Mediation UK, a national Alternative Disputes Resolution organisation.

The training is already reaping benefits for the firm in the area of land and property disputes.

"With mediation you have to listen to the feelings of people as much as the facts," says David. "It is by understanding why parties feel as strongly as they do that options for settlement start to emerge.

"Another important skill is to appreciate that positions and interests are not necessarily the same. All too frequently, people's real interests are not what they believe them to be. They may be quite compatible with each other, even though a lot of acrimony might have built up over a long period."

David will also be using his ADR experience in the workplace - enabling employers and employees to resolve their differences through mediation rather than expensive and time-consuming litigation.