Harry Spurr - Mediation

Harry is an accomplished and directory-ranked mediator in commercial, civil and property disputes.

Described recently as “outstanding”, highly-skilled” and “at the top of his profession”, Harry is regularly commended by parties for his mediation style, and in particular his calming influence and capacity to challenge sensitively but robustly.  His consistently excellent feedback, and high settlement rate, speak for themselves.

Harry’s background as a barrister practising for many years from leading chambers, and as the former owner of two successful businesses, gives him a rare insight in the combination of legal and commercial influences that frame disputes.

Harry is also the author of a podcast, A Moment on Mediation, offering brief insights into mediation strategy and conflict psychology.  Scroll to the bottom of this page to listen.

Practice

Harry’s mediation practice extends across the commercial, civil and property spectrum.  His commercial and civil expertise is extensive and covers:

• Boardroom conflict
• Contractual disputes
• Corporate and shareholder actions
• Employment disputes
• Financial sector litigation
• Inheritance Act 1975
• Insurance matters
• Mergers & acquisitions
• Professional negligence
• Share purchase disputes

In addition, Harry has extensive expertise in disputes concerning property, land and environmental issues.  This includes:

• Agriculture
• Adverse possession
• Boundaries
• Construction and development
• Easements
• Environmental and other regulatory matters
• Inheritance
• Land ownership
• Landlord and tenant – a wide range of matters
• Licensing
• Nuisance
• Options
• Overage
• Planning
• Restrictive covenants
• Rights of way
• Trespass
• Water rights

Harry also offers substantial experience in conflict engaging public bodies, whether acting in a regulatory capacity or otherwise.

Harry mediates in person and online, across the UK and internationally.  He also practices from specialist mediation chambers IPOS Mediation and is a member of the mediation panel at the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), both in London.

Clients

Harry mediates for parties from a wide range of sectors, including:

• Agriculture and forestry
• Aviation
• Education, care and medicine
• Financial and legal services
• Insurance
• Local government
• Manufacturing, distribution and retail
• Media
• Oil, gas and renewable energy
• Public and regulatory sector
• Real estate, construction and development
• Tourism, leisure and hotels
• Transport and other infrastructure

These parties include domestic and international organisations and individuals, and range from large corporates to SMEs and individuals, shareholders, directors and partners, professionals and landowners, tenants and other occupiers of land, regulators, councils and other public bodies, community groups and other organisations.

Mediation style and approach

The combination of Harry’s extensive experience as a professional litigator, and as a successful business owner dealing with the commercial realities of negotiation and dispute, puts him in a position that is rare for a mediator-barrister; it means that he is unusually well-placed to understand not only the legal context that frames disputes, but also the commercial and other private influences that lie at their heart. This insight is of particular value in the deal-making environment of mediation.

Fundamental to successful mediation is the need to design and deliver the process around the needs and interests of the parties, and a sensitivity to the evolving dynamic of a negotiation.  Harry’s approach is therefore characterised by flexibility, awareness and responsiveness.  This is accompanied by a commercial insight that reflects his other career in business, and a sensitivity to the emotional aspects of conflict that he has developed from his work in the challenging community mediation sector.  Parties often comment favourably about his mediation style, and in particular the calming nature of his influence in difficult disputes, and his ability to challenge robustly but gently.

Harry is particularly interested in the psychology behind the origins and pattern of conflict, and its effect on negotiation dynamics, and regularly exploits his insights in this field to encourage and maintain progress in mediation.

In April 2023 Harry launched a new mediation podcast channel, offering brief insights into conflict resolution. Aimed primarily at professionals representing parties at mediation, his ultra-short podcasts are filled with valuable tips on strategy and insights into conflict psychology.  Harry will be publishing new episodes regularly throughout the coming months.

In addition to his recommendations in the legal directories, Harry regularly receives feedback from clients.  Recent examples include the following:

• “I thought you were one of the best mediators I’ve worked with, and my clients were very impressed too, possibly helped my me stating what a great job you were doing. However, they were also impressed by your understanding of the subject matter, which was certainly not an ‘everyday topic’.” (Barrister, regional chambers)
• “Harry was very organised, professional, and meticulous in his approach from the initial enquiry and the familiarisation session through to settlement being reached at mediation.  Some mediators just want to try and persuade the parties to ‘do a deal’ but for settlement to be reached the parties must go through a process of being listened to and heard.  Harry listened and we felt heard, and he very quickly got to grips with not only the legal merits including playing devils advocate and testing the same but the dynamics of the situation as a whole which ultimately lead to a commercial resolution being reached.” (Partner, regional firm)
• “Just wanted to drop a message to say how thoroughly impressed I was by you. Just in case you don’t hear feedback from your clients often. You have a great natural calming presence and combined with your inquisitiveness, it’s perfect for your role. I hope I won’t need you in the future, but if I ever [do], I’ll be sure to reach out.” (Director, SME)
• “Harry is a great mediator; having has successfully mediated between parties in difficult disputes. He is well-prepared and attentive to clients; he especially arranged a pre-mediation meeting with the clients which put them at ease, instilled confidence in the mediation and in him. Harry is both empathetic and constructive; the latter being essential to closing the gap between the parties. Harry is also well-versed in commercial issues, legal points and recognises good points from bad ones, all of which is invaluable in commercial disputes raising several legal issues.” (Barrister, regional chambers)
• ‘[My colleague] and I would like to thank you and the IPOS staff for your efforts before and on the day of mediation in getting a settlement that we did not think was possible. We will be making your efforts known to our colleagues so hopefully we will cross paths on other matters going forwards! (Solicitor, London firm)
• “Many thanks for getting us over the line. The majority of my mediations are judicial mediations in the Employment Tribunal where the standard of mediation is certainly variable, so it was a breath of fresh air to have you when you’re clearly very good at what you do. You came recommended through my (former) instructing solicitor, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend your services again” (Barrister, regional chambers)
• “Harry Spurr is a first-rate mediator – always thoughtful, prepared, and pragmatic. He is trusted by the parties and explores all possibilities to bring parties closer together.” (Barrister, London chambers)
• “Harry took the time prior to the mediation to explain the process and practicalities which at the time may have felt like unnecessary time but in fact proved extremely valuable and a measure of his experience in understanding that it can be difficult to remain objective within an ADR situation. With his assistance we were able to achieve a tolerable outcome to both parties which in the end is the best outcome.” (Managing Director, SME)
• “It’s safe to say we were all very impressed with your patience and persistence in view of how far apart the parties were, even up to 6 o’clock yesterday evening. Your encouragement, willingness to challenge the parties and lateral thinking made a huge difference and I will certainly recommend you to colleagues.” (Solicitor, national law firm)
• “Harry is a highly skilled and effective mediator. He worked tirelessly and late into the evening to achieve a settlement, combining considerable commercial acumen with an ability to listen empathetically to the parties. He was able to suggest innovative solutions to what seemed insurmountable problems and his expertise in property law meant he was authoritatively able to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the parties’ respective positions. Harry was approachable, assured and clearly well versed in the skills needed to conduct a successful mediation.” (Barrister, London chambers)
• “Harry was a calming and rational presence in an otherwise emotionally fraught dispute without whom settlement would not have been reached.” (Barrister, London chambers)
• “Thank you for all your hard work and patience and skill in bringing this matter to an in principle agreement.” (Partner, London law firm)
• “Harry was excellent. It is quite a skill to be able to point out weaknesses and be straight to the point without offending a client and putting them in defence mode. I would certainly use Harry again.” (Partner, regional law firm)
• “Thank you very much too for your assistance yesterday. I thought your work was invaluable in assisting the parties to look past their differences and the history of the matter and reach a consensus.” (Director, regional law firm)
• “I must confess I had my reservations about the likelihood of reaching agreement, so I am delighted we managed to get this across the line with your help. You were very calm and patient despite my client very often vocalising his frustrations with the claim!  Your persistence certainly paid off in expressing to both sides the often all too depressing and costly reality of progressing to a trial.” (Solicitor, national law firm)
• “Excellent. Very calm but also direct when needed and a good facilitator. Managed the parties well and enabled a settlement to be reached in what looked to be very unlikely circumstances.” (Partner, regional law firm)
• “Harry did an excellent job in very difficult circumstances” (Partner, regional law firm)
• “The mediation went well and all my feedback is positive. Harry explained the process well, listened to my client’s point of view and kept things moving.” (Director, regional law firm)
• “Harry was great. He really grasps the positions of both sides, and spent a considerable amount of time with each party in order to facilitate successful settlement proposals. He was flexible throughout the day to party’s requests which eventually meant that settlement was reached.” (Solicitor, London law firm)
• “He facilitated the agreement between the parties immeasurably.” (Solicitor, London law firm)
• “Thanks for your help with this. I hope to work with you again in the near future.” (Barrister, London chambers)
• “Well handled and fair, 5 out of 5” (Partner, regional law firm)
• “Thank you. I thought you did an excellent job in very difficult circumstances and it was a testament to your efforts that despite fairly inauspicious beginnings we seemed to make some progress by the afternoon. Well done.” (Senior Associate, international law firm)
• “5 out of 5” (Partner, international law firm)
• “We are very pleased with the outcome of the mediation on Monday. The entire process was very smooth and painless. I was impressed with the meeting we had last week where you set the scene and explained the entire procedure so everyone knew what to expect on the day. Thank you for all your assistance in getting this matter resolved.” (Solicitor, London borough)
• “We found you to be very knowledgeable around the mediation process . Your communication style is very collaborative which really helps support the progression of proceeding throughout the day, so it runs smoothly. Your ability to play “devil’s advocate” and be clear about the potential risks of litigation to an organisation, was also very helpful. We would be happy to use your services again (should they ever be needed!)” (Director, public sector organisation)
• “Thank you for making what could have been a stressful situation to a very positive , educational one!” (Contracts manager, public sector organisation)
• “It was a pleasure to work with you […].  We’d be more than happy to be put down as a referee for you.” (Partner, national law firm)
• “I had the pleasure of working with Harry Spurr. He listened and was accommodating to the clients’ circumstances. He is passionate about his role as a mediator and that was clear to see. He offered many solutions to the parties and although it was unfortunate that the parties could not settle the dispute I would not hesitate to recommend Harry or use Harry again.” (Solicitor, regional law firm)
• “I was very pleased with the end result and appreciative of the hard work Harry did to achieve a settlement” (Solicitor, London law firm)
• “First time I had used harry – I was very impressed and would be happy to recommend him in the future. Very user friendly, set the mediation well and went the extra mile to ensure settlement was achieved. A really nice tone was set for the mediation.” (Solicitor, international law firm)
• “We are very pleased we can move on from this now and totally feel you were instrumental for this to happen, on my part especially!  Once again thank you for all your support and professionalism with us and clearly laying it on the line the impact we could be feeling right now if we had not settled.  We would highly recommend your services, although in fact we hope that we do not have to, if anyone can get two parties to compromise and settle we know in your safe expert hands this can happen!  We really cannot thank you enough, from the first chat you had with my husband over the phone he remarked that you were easy to talk to and had great empathy listening to our dispute without being biased.  What else can I say, a job well done!” (Litigant in person)
• “It was a pleasure working with you too; thank you again for going the extra mile for us!” (Director, international law firm)
• “I would like to (belatedly) thank Harry for his work at the mediation, I think he handled a difficult negotiation very well and achieved a sensible result.” (Solicitor, international law firm)
• “We were pleased with the role you played, and it was very helpful to have you on the day. I am sure we will work with you again in the future.” (Partner, national law firm)
• “Thanks very much for all your help yesterday.  I know the [client] team was also very grateful for your assistance throughout the day.” (Solicitor, international law firm)
• “I just wanted to take a moment to thank you so very much for your kindness and professionalism today.  I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to thank you face to face but genuinely we are incredibly grateful to you.  I think you are really rather good at your job and the biggest weight has been lifted and big sighs of relief all round here. Thank you so much.” (Litigant)
• “Just a quick note to say thank you very much for your patience and hard work yesterday.” (Partner, national law firm)
• “Just a quick note to say thank you for your help yesterday.  I thought you did a good job of managing our expectations, cajoling us and keeping us aware of the risks of litigation yet I felt confident you were doing the same with the other side. You did exactly what we all needed from a mediator and did so delicately and sympathetically.  Thanks again.” (Partner, ‘big four’ accounting firm)
• “Clear, level headed and empathetic. I would have no hesitation in putting your name forward for future mediation. Managed the process well and was skilful at facilitating dialogue and negotiation between the parties.” (Partner, national law firm)
• “Very pleasant and patient. Excellent communications before the mediation (hosting a dry run on Zoom which had numerous technical issues!). Good empathy with the client on the day and showed flexibility in terms of taking on board the parties’ desire to resolve the dispute quickly.” (Partner, national law firm)
• “Clearly a very good mentor to new mediators…” (Director of mediation panel)
• “I was very pleased with the end result and appreciative of the hard work you did to achieve a settlement.” (Partner, regional law firm)
• “I don’t think I properly thanked you at the time for your super work on the mediation […] you did an outstanding job and I was really grateful for your hard work and perseverance to get it to where it got too.  I know we are looking to use you where possible since.” (Partner, London law firm)
• “Very calm, efficient, and effective. It felt almost like business therapy. Can’t recommend Harry Spurr highly enough. From speaking over the phone to dealing with him in person, it was clear, he’s at the top of his profession.” (Director, leading international media agency)
• “To break the deadlock we had found ourselves in was for me a monumental relief” (Director, boardroom dispute)
• “The hugest of thanks for the session […] huge progress” (Shareholder, London organisation)
• “Thank you for facilitating the progress” (Party)
• “You’re a fantastic mediator … It’s been a pleasure working with you, I’ve learned lots.” (Co-mediator)
• “Excellent … remained good-humoured throughout.” (Partner, regional law firm)
• “Thank you for managing to get [us] to reach an agreement. You did a great job!” (Solicitor, regional law firm)
• “Harry dealt with the mediation in a highly efficient, and helpful manner throughout. The dispute was an unusual, and in many respects delicate, one, which required careful management. Harry established a good rapport with our clients and the parties generally, and was pro-active in managing the parties and the process through to a successful resolution.” (Partner, regional law firm)
• “Thanks… and very well done if I may say so.” (Litigant in person)