On Monday, August 18, Zane Pētersone, Senator of the Department of Civil Cases of the Supreme Court of Latvia, met with students of the Nordplus project Intensive Mediation Course of Turība University to share her experience in the field of mediation from a judge's perspective.

At the opening of the lecture, Zane Pētersone introduced the students to the Latvian court system as a whole and the role of the Supreme Court in it. The Senator also highlighted the roles of the court, the judge and the mediator in conflict resolution. Sharing her judicial experience, the Senator emphasized that the satisfaction of a judge's work lies not only in resolving a case, but the greatest satisfaction comes from helping people find a solution to their problems and helping them resolve their mutual relationships.

Zane Pētersone gave the students a detailed introduction to various types of dispute resolution, spoke about the development of mediation in Latvia and current practices. The essence of mediation, its types and related processes were addressed, and its pros and cons were discussed.

With the students actively participating in the discussion, the Senator answered questions such as – the representatives of which professions can become mediators, how to become a certified mediator, how cooperation between judges and mediators works, whether mediation can be initiated during court proceedings, temporarily suspending proceedings, whether judges receive training in mediation, and many other issues.

After the meeting, the students visited the Supreme Court Museum and toured the Palace of Justice, gaining a deeper understanding of the court’s history.

The Mediation Law was adopted in 2014. Senator Zane Pētersone has participated in the drafting of the Mediation Law, she is a member of the Latvian Commission for Certification and Attestation of Mediators and the EUIPO Boards’ of Appeal Mediation IP Judges Network, and had been the Latvian representative to the European Association of Judges for Mediation (GEMME).

 

Information prepared by Iveta Jaudzema, Communication specialist at the Supreme Court of Latvia

E-mail: iveta.jaudzema@at.gov.lv; tel.: +371 67020362