‘Be aware’. 100 DCM Institute members attend Sydney PD Day and Minter Ellison Dispute Management presentation

Village Managers regularly get caught up in disputes, which require real skills to successfully navigate, and if not carefully managed can draw in the operator – and lawyers.

Jonathan Chow, Special Counsel at law firm Minter Ellison, gave a 45 minute overview at the DCM Institute Professional Development Day at the Hilton Hotel, Sydney on how to handle disputes and advice on engaging mediators ahead of legal action.

His advice – be aware and take notes! He detailed the importance of identifying when a dispute is gathering momentum and then commencing record keeping by the Village Manager. Good notes in chronological order will usually eliminate the need to resort to high level legal action because when presented with the facts of a dispute, most people lose their energy for a fight.

But Jonathon said receiving good quality notes is rare.

He also pointed out that if a dispute is to go to the Tribunal, expect around 12 months to receive the first hearing.

He then presented a short quiz, including this slide:  

The answer is at the bottom of the last article.