“A spellbinding mediator and great thinker...by far the best in the market”
John Sturrock QC has been described as a “thought leader” in the area of mediation, citing his “keen intellect”, “preparation to get at core issues” and “massive wealth of experience in difficult negotiation situations”. He is “universally regarded as Scotland’s finest mediator” with a practice that extends throughout the UK, mainland Europe, Middle East and Africa.
An internationally recognised Mediator, John has mediated hundreds of disputes in a wide range of commercial, professional and other settings. Many of these matters have raised complex issues, some have involved multiple parties, most have resolved in a day. The value of claims has ranged from tens of thousands of pounds to hundreds of millions. He is recognised for his innovative approach to helping parties to resolve difficult matters.
John Sturrock QC has been described as a “thought leader” in the area of mediation, citing his “keen intellect”, “preparation to get at core issues” and “massive wealth of experience in difficult negotiation situations”. He is “universally regarded as Scotland’s finest mediator” with a practice that extends throughout the UK, mainland Europe, Middle East and Africa.
An internationally recognised Mediator, John has mediated hundreds of disputes in a wide range of commercial, professional and other settings. Many of these matters have raised complex issues, some have involved multiple parties, most have resolved in a day. The value of claims has ranged from tens of thousands of pounds to hundreds of millions. He is recognised for his innovative approach to helping parties to resolve difficult matters.
Since leaving active practice at the Scottish Bar in 2002, he has pursued a full-time career as a mediator, facilitator, conflict specialist and coach. He has mediated in government, commerce, industry, the professions, sport, the public sector, senior management and other sensitive and complex matters and has facilitated many high-level dialogues.
John’s style is engaging and innovative with an emphasis on being rigorous on the issues when necessary, while recognising the need for respect and dignity amongst all concerned. His approach is to value parties’ autonomy in making choices and to ensure that these choices are fully-informed and fully tested. He is facilitative and thorough, working energetically alongside parties with a lightness of touch and focussed perseverance. Adept at working with people at every level, he is respected for his ability to get to the heart of matters, while using the process creatively.
With a legal background, he is able to help parties assess legal and factual risks where appropriate. His many years in business, including engagement with major plcs and other corporate interests in strategy work, enable him to encourage a commercial approach to problem-solving, ensuring that decision-makers can take responsibility for making realistic choices about the outcome.
Noted as "one of the best teachers of mediation", he also specialises in conflict management training and coaching for senior government officials, civil servants, executives and sports leaders. For many years, he has worked with senior civil servants and various parliamentary bodies throughout the UK (including the Westminster and Scottish Parliaments and the Northern Ireland, Welsh and London Assemblies) on effective scrutiny of policy. He was a special adviser on dialogue to the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. He works regularly with senior officials at the Scottish Government on policy and political issues at the highest levels. He has trained Cabinet Office officials in London.
He facilitated the 2020 Climate Change Delivery Group in Scotland from 2009-2013. He has worked with UK Sport, the English Institute of Sport, Sportscotland, and many sports’ governing bodies and athletes for a number of years, particularly in the lead up to the London Olympics.
John recently acted as mediator in complex private/public sector infrastructure/construction and engineering projects with claim values in the £hundreds of millions.
He is a founder of Collaborative Scotland, an initiative to bring respectful dialogue to Scottish politics and public affairs, and is the author of its Commitment to Respectful Dialogue. He is a frequent writer and commentator on collaboration in the political world.
John has been involved in hundreds of mediations, frequently high value, multi-party, covering a broad range of issues in the commercial and public sectors, finance and banking, corporate management, government and sport. These have included a multiplicity of interests, including commercial contracts, financial instruments, shareholder and boardroom, insurance, construction and engineering, infrastructure, intellectual property, real estate, high performance sport, senior level employment, investor matters, taxation, IT, professional indemnity, agriculture, landlord and tenant, oil and gas, procurement and transport.
He has also facilitated many high-level dialogues in sensitive and complex policy matters (including intra-governmental).
John recently acted as mediator in complex private/public sector infrastructure/construction and engineering projects with claim values in the £hundreds of millions.
Click here for examples of John’s mediation and other work.
Extensive - see www.core-solutions.com/resources
Practical mediation: A Guide for Mediators and Others, by Jonathan Dingle with John Sephton, published by Law Brief Publishing in 2017
Essays on Mediation: Dealing with Disputes in the 21st Century, published by Wolters Kluwer in 2016
Publisher of Thinking Differently: Making a Difference using Mediation - Core's 10th anniversary book, edited by David Lee.
John is also a frequent contributor of articles to newspapers and journals.
