A disputed claim that drags on for months rarely started as a legal crisis — it usually began as a risk nobody flagged early enough, or a disagreement that could have been resolved through negotiation before it needed a court or an arbitrator at all.

Arab British Fellowship Training Academy designed this course around that reality. Participants learn to identify risk before it turns into a claim, assess claims with accuracy and fairness, run arbitration proceedings effectively when disputes do arise, and — just as importantly — build the negotiation and prevention habits that keep most disputes from reaching that point in the first place.

Program Objectives

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Identify potential risks early and analyze how they affect the organization.
• Assess claims accurately and fairly using structured evaluation methods.
• Conduct arbitration effectively and manage disputing parties through to a decision.
• Apply practical strategies to avoid and pre-emptively resolve legal disputes.

Who Should Attend?

• Risk managers and crisis management specialists.
• Lawyers and legal advisors.
• Claims and compensation officers.
• Executive officers and project managers.

Module 1: Preventing Disputes Before They Start

• Understanding the common causes of disputes and how to avoid them early.
• Prevention strategies: pre-negotiation and clear, unambiguous contract drafting.
• Building a preventive culture and training teams on dispute-avoidance habits.

Module 2: Identifying and Assessing Organizational Risk

• Defining risk and applying identification methods such as SWOT and PESTEL analysis.
• Tools for surfacing risk: surveys, workshops, and data analysis.
• Assessing the likelihood and impact of risks, and building risk maps for response planning.

Module 3: Evaluating Claims Fairly and Accurately

• Types of claims: financial compensation, legal claims, and insurance claims.
• The claims assessment process — collecting, validating, and estimating.
• Tools for claims assessment and strategies to improve accuracy over time.

Module 4: Arbitration — When and How It Works

• Defining arbitration and its types: commercial, international, and institutional.
• How arbitration differs from court litigation, and its advantages and drawbacks.
• The procedural steps: filing a claim, selecting arbitrators, and preparing for hearings.

Module 5: Managing the Arbitration Process to a Decision

• The responsibilities and authority of arbitrators in managing disputing parties.
• Techniques for controlling sessions and presenting evidence and testimony.
• Issuing, enforcing, and handling appeals or objections to arbitration awards.

Module 6: Negotiation as the First Line of Resolution

• Techniques for negotiating effectively before disputes escalate.
• Using mediation as a faster, lower-cost path to resolution.
• The role of mutual understanding and settlement in avoiding formal disputes altogether.