Giuseppe De Palo is one of the five directors of JAMS International, and the co-founder and President of ADR Center, the Italian arm of JAMS International and the largest private ADR firm in continental Europe. He started his academic career in Italy in 1995 and in 2001 became an International Professor of Alternative Dispute Resolution Law and Practice at Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota (USA).
Professor Giuseppe De Palo is recognised internationally as a top European expert in negotiation and mediation, and has contributed to the resolution of over 300 complex commercial disputes on four different continents. Furthermore, he is the mediator for several of Italy’s most prominent libel cases.
Over the last ten years, he has been the team leader for several consulting projects valued in excess of 7 millions Euro -- funded by the World Bank, the European Commission, the Inter-American Development Bank and the IFC -- which foster mediation and arbitration in countries all over the world. At present, he directs the EC-funded projects entitled “Judges in ADR” and “Lawyers in ADR” which support the use of the EU Mediation Directive throughout the Member States.
Professor Giuseppe De Palo is the editor, author, and co-author of several books and articles in the field of ADR, some of which were translated in Chinese, Arabic, and Turkish. Since 2009, he is the co-editor of “Worldly Perspective”, a monthly column in CPR’s Alternatives newsletter, covering mediation developments around the world. He is also a member of the board of editorial advisors of the Negotiation Journal, published by Harvard University.
Based in the Milan office of JAMS International, he works in Italian, English, French, and speaks basic German and Spanish.
ADR Experience
A full-time mediator since 1998, Professor Giuseppe De Palo provides mediation, mediation advocacy and negotiation strategy services in a wide range of international business areas. These areas include:
- Distribution contracts
- Licensing
- Telecommunications
- Property and Real Estate
- Joint Ventures
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Corporate
- Libel
- Insurance
- Oil and Gas
- Construction
- Financial issues
Representative Matters
- Dispute over highly complex financial instruments (Italy)
- Contract dispute regarding installation of electric lines (Turkey, Morocco)
- Cross libel case between major media companies (Italy, USA)
- Breach of supply agreement by provider of truck breaks systems (Germany, Belgium, Italy)
- Defective service of gas turbines (Austria, Cyprus, Italy)
- Termination of exclusive distribution of alcoholic beverages (Italy, Germany)
- Breach of contract for the installation of bottling lines for carbonated drinks (Italy, Saudi Arabia)
- Defective supply of satellite dishes (USA, Israel, Italy)
- Team Leader/Project Director for several ADR consulting projects, including:
- World Bank funded project Expanding Commercial Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Institutions and Mechanisms in Nigeria, 2008-2011
- EU-funded project Technical Assistance for Better Access to Justice – Turkey, 2007-2009
- IFC-World Bank Alternative Dispute Resolution/Mediation Pilot Project for Morocco, 2008
- Inter-American Development Bank Alternative Dispute Resolution Program in Barbados, 2009-2011
- EU-funded project Promotion of International Commercial Arbitration and other ADR Techniques in the MEDA Region, conducted in the MEDA countries, 2006-2008
- EU-funded project Lawyers in ADR – Roles, Responsibilities and Opportunities for Lawyers in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), part of the “Specific Program Civil Justice 2007-2013”, 2009-2010, refunded through 2013
- EU-funded project Judges in ADR – Improving On-line Resources and Trainings for Judicial Referral to Mediation in the European Union, part of the “Specific Program Civil Justice 2007-2013”, 2011-2013
Honours, Memberships, and Professional Activities
- Member, Italian Bar Association, Italy
- European Academic Director, ‘Making and Saving Deals in the Global Business Environment – Negotiating Transactions and Resolving Business Disputes’, University of Rome and Hamline University, 2003-Present
- First recipient, Schlesinger Fellowship in Comparative Law, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 2008
- European Scientific Director, Developing Transnational Curricula in Negotiation, Mediation, Arbitration, and Dispute Systems Design, Sapienza University of Rome, 2003-2007
- Committee Member of ten international experts charged by the European Commission to draft the “European Code of Conduct for Mediators,” 2004-2005
- Member of the Scientific Committee and Adjunct Professor, Post-graduate center “EuroSapienza”, Sapienza University of Rome, 1998-2001
- Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Political Sciences and Faculty of Law, University of Urbino, 1995-2001
- Co-Editor, “Venturing Beyond the Classroom,” Vol. II, Rethinking Negotiation Teaching, DRI Press, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2010
- Co-Editor, Rethinking Negotiation Teaching, DRI Press, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2009
- Co-Editor, Arbitration and Mediation in the Southern Mediterranean Countries, Kluwer Law International, 2007
- Co-Editor, Il vantaggio di negoziare, Giuffrè, 2005
- Co-Author, Il Ruolo dell’Avvocato nella Mediazione, Giuffrè, 2011
- Co-Author, Manuale del Mediatore Professionista, 2nd Edition, Giuffrè, 2010
- Co-Author, Manuale del Mediatore Professionista, Giuffrè, 2004
- Chapter Author, “Il Movimento ADR” negli Stati Uniti, Seconda Sessione”, in La Crisi della Giustizia Civile in Italia: Che fare?, Giuffrè, 2009
- Chapter co-Author, “Per un sistema di ADR, Le procedure primarie di ADR, Le procedure ibride e multi fase di ADR,” in Arbitrato, ADR e Conciliazione, Mauro Rubino Sammartano, Zanichelli, 2009
- Chapter Co-Author, “Mediation in Italy: Waiting for the Big Bang,” Global Trends in Mediation, Nadja Alexander, ed., Kluwer Law International, p. 259, 2006
- Chapter Author, “Mediation in Continental Europe,” Mediators on Mediation, Christopher Newmark and Anthony Monaghan, eds., p. 340, Tottel, 2005
- Introduction Author to the Italian Translation, Bargaining for Advantage, G. Richard Shell, Giuffrè, 2004
- Co-Editor, “Worldly Perspectives” Column, Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation, 2009-Present
- Author, “Mediating between the Bar and the Government? Italy’s Attorneys Strike over a new ADR Law,” Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation, vol. 29, n. 4, April 2011
- Co-Author, “International Commercial Mediation,” in International Legal Developments in Review: 2010, published by The International Lawyer, vol. 48, n. 1, Spring 2011
- Co-Author, “Explosion or Bust? Italy’s New Mediation Model Targets Backlogs to “Eliminate” One Million Disputes, Annually,” Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation, vol. 28, n. 4, April 2010
- Co-Author, “Promotion of International Commercial Arbitration and Other Alternative Dispute Resolution Techniques, in 10 Southern Mediterranean Countries,” Cardozo J. of Conflict Resol., vol. 7, p. 303, 2006
- Author, “Mediation in Italy: Exploring the Contradictions,” Harvard Negotiation Journal, p. 469, October 2005
- Author, “The Italian Government Changes a Key Feature in the Brand New Rules on Company Mediation,” International Journal of Dispute Resolution, p. 85, 2004
- Author, “Crisis of Courts and the Italian Mediation Debate,” 25 International Journal Of Dispute Resolution 17, Betriebs Berater, June 2003, republished in Global Trends In Mediation, Nadja Alexander, ed., Otto-Schmidt, 2003
- Author, “ADR – Mediation as a Modern Tool of ‘Conflict Management’ in International Business Transactions,” Il Sole 24 Ore, 2001
- Author, “Alternative Resolution of International Commercial Disputes in Italy,” Centre Français du Commerce Extérieur, 2000
- Author, Alternative Dispute Resolution in the United States Federal Courts, Giuffrè, 1999
- Author, “The “ADR Movement” (Alternative Dispute Resolution) in the United States,” Essays of the Italian Superior Council of Magistracy, 1999
- Author, “Alternative Dispute Resolution” – The US Experience, Italian Young Lawyers Association, 1999
Background and Education
- President, ADR Center, 2005-present
- Mediator, ADR Center, 1998-present
- Vice President, ADR Center, 1998-2005
- Associate, Wilmer, Cutler, & Pickering, Brussels, 1996-1997
- LL.M., University of California, Berkley, 1995
- International Trade Law (postgraduate degree), International Training Centre of the ILO, Italy, 1994
- Laurea in Scienze Politche (Political Sciences degree), maxima cum laude, University of Urbino, 1994
- Junior Lieutenant, Guardia di Finanza (Italian Tax Police), Italy, 1992-1993
- Laurea in Giurisprudenza (J.D.), maxima cum laude, University of Bologna, 1991
Events
| DATE | TITLE |
|---|---|
| 13/4/2012 | ADR on the International Stage featuring Giuseppe De Palo | San Francisco, CA, United States |
| 18/4/2012 | JAMS International panellists to speak at 14th Annual Spring Conference for ABA Dispute Resolution | Washington, DC, United States |
| 3/2/2012 | JAMS International Panellists De Palo, Verougstraete, Marinari Speak at Judges in ADR Conference | Rome, Italy |
“Top mediation skills, understanding of highly complex legal matters and impressive ability in cross-cultural communication: a go-to person for high-stakes international business disputes”
- Stefano Cima, Partner, Eversheds, MilanRecognized as one of the top practitioners in commercial mediation in the world
- Who’s Who of International Commercial Mediation 2011“A founding father of the European mediation movement”
- Giuseppe Grechi, President Emeritus, Milan Court of Appeals
