We caught up with Ciarb’s 2024 President to hear his reflections on a busy year, and how he is celebrating the end of his presidency.

After a long and industrious year, Ciarb’s President Jonathan Wood FCIArb is ready to hang up his official Ciarb crest and pass on the baton. It’s been an exciting year of growth for Ciarb – we welcomed a new Branch in Riyadh in March, and a new Chapter in Athens in November.

For Jonathan, the best part of being Ciarb’s president has been meeting all the members around the world. “It has been heartwarming to see how valued Ciarb is by its members – and my only regret is that I haven’t been able to meet everyone,” he enthuses.

For the last ten years Jonathan has worked very closely with Ciarb, beginning as a member of Ciarb’s London Branch, then becoming a Trustee, then going on to chair the Board of Trustees for five years – before taking up the helm of Ciarb president for 2024. It’s a role that’s taken a huge amount of commitment, but one that has been very enjoyable.

“Volunteers are the backbone of Ciarb and it provides plenty of opportunities for the volunteers themselves – as well as the more altruistic reasons of giving back to community. I would say to anyone thinking of volunteering with Ciarb – just do it!” encourages Jonathan.

Over the past year, Jonathan has travelled to five continents, and attended numerous events on behalf of Ciarb. However, it’s not all high-flying travel. “One of my more time-consuming responsibilities as president is my work with Ciarb’s Dispute Appointment Service (DAS). Ciarb’s role as an nominating body is essential to the profession.”

DAS provides individuals and organisations with expert assistance to find and appoint the right dispute resolver for their needs. DAS can appoint ADR professionals from Ciarb’s Presidential Panels, which are composed of senior and experienced arbitrators, commercial and civil mediators, and adjudicators. It’s one of the roles of the president to help facilitate this. “The DAS team are amazing – it’s a smooth-running and important function,” explains Jonathan.

Mediation

In terms of ADR trends for 2025, there’s one strong winner in Jonathan’s opinion; how widely accepted mediation is becoming. “If there’s one trend that has stood out, it has been the growth and acceptance of mediation internationally,” explains Jonathan. “There are many jurisdictions where mediation is still in its early stages, and there can be some reluctance on the part of the legal profession to embrace mediation. Some ADR practitioners are under the misapprehension that it might take the bread and butter away from their practice – which we all know is not the case. However, once they have experienced the positive aspects of mediation, we find that they fully embrace it. Mediation can provide a highly satisfactory solution for clients – and a satisfied client is likely to return.”

Celebration

To celebrate the end of his presidency, Jonathan has turned his focus to his hometown of Maldon in Essex. “I’ve travelled all the way around the world in my time as Ciarb’s president – so now it is time to do something locally. I have sponsored a law book in Thomas Plume’s Library - Commentaries on the Laws of England by William Blackstone in Four Volumes, printed in 1773.” It’s a law book that every law student will know very well, in which Blackstone, an English jurist and justice, undertakes the enormous task of describing and explaining the major principles of English common law.

“To sponsor an original of the most well-known commentary on the law is very rewarding,” said Jonathan. His sponsorship of the 18th century book will pay for its restoration and upkeep so it can maintained and used for legal research in the future.

“The historical value of the collection first drew me to it – the books are part of a larger collection which cover a number of subjects. The law books as a historical record tell us about how the law has developed in England over the last 300 years,” explains Jonathan. “It sits well with Ciarb’s objectives too – which is to educate and facilitate access to justice.”