Camille Borella and Jocelyne Dulac: “mediation remains a very powerful process that soothes and restores relationships and opens doors to conflict resolution.”
Why did you take part in the CMAP Commercial Mediation Competition in 2021 ?
Jocelyne Dulac : I had enrolled for the DU des Modes Amiables de Règlement des Différends at Nanterre, chaired by Mrs Soraya AMRANI MEKKI. Claude DUVERNOY told us at the start of the year that CMAP was organizing an annual competition in commercial mediation, and encouraged us to sign up. I thought it would be a challenge not to be missed, an opportunity for intensive training in mediation and, last but not least, an interesting and inevitably enriching experience in front of professional mediators.
Camille Borella : As part of the same DU program, I thought it would be interesting to take part in this competition as part of a team with my DU colleagues, to practice mediation in front of professionals and at the same time set ourselves a challenge.
What does mediation represent in your daily life? or in your daily approach to the law ?
Jocelyne Dulac : It’s been many years now since I trained in the collaborative process and interest-based negotiation, which I use on a daily basis in my work as a lawyer. These tools have revolutionized the way I work, the way I prepare my clients’ files, and the way I approach relations with my colleagues and the opposing party, through better listening and taking into account the needs and interests of each party. Mediation uses the same tools, but in a different format. The mediator is a neutral, independent and impartial third party who can be an asset in conflicts where lawyers have been unable to bring their negotiations to a successful conclusion. So, as a lawyer trained in mediation, my collaboration with the mediator can be a great help in achieving results. Now, as a mediator, I can help companies or individuals to communicate with each other again, so that together they can build a lasting solution. For me, mediation remains a very powerful process that soothes and restores relationships and opens doors to conflict resolution.
Camille Borella : I’m an in-house lawyer with the Agence Française de Développement, an international development agency. I see mediation as a formidable tool for resolving conflicts and setting up projects, especially in an intercultural context. High-quality dialogue, based on listening and preparation, is essential to deepening relations with partners. These are just some of the tools offered by mediation, which take on their full meaning in this context of different cultures and languages.
Can you tell us about a highlight of your participation in the competition? A member of the jury? An emotional moment ?
Jocelyne Dulac : What stood out for me was taking part in a videoconference competition, with the members of the Jury appearing on screen. However, their warm welcome and immediate benevolence were a great help in building our confidence. I was struck by the variety of profiles of the different members of the jury, and the range of possible types of mediation became clear to me. Camille sat in front of a jury made up of lawyers from Anglo-Saxon firms, and I was in front of a jury made up of consular judges. When the jury came back, we had an interesting exchange on the difference between conciliation and mediation. Finally, I was touched by the feedback I received from the jury members.
Camille Borella : I appreciated the conferences and round tables organized around the competition, which enabled me to exchange views with mediation professionals on a wide range of subjects. The most memorable moment of the competition was the first few minutes of the hour-long mediation, when the stress was very intense! But in the end, the exercise was very rewarding, especially the jury’s feedback on Jocelyne’s and my performance.
What do you remember about your training at Institut 131, which won first prize in your category ?
Jocelyne Dulac : Camille and I had the great pleasure of winning a course in “Interest-based negotiation using the Harvard method”. Although I had already been trained in this method of amicable settlement, I was very pleasantly surprised by a new methodology that complemented what we had already learned and enlightened me on other complementary techniques for successful negotiation. It was therefore a very fine and enriching experience, for which I would like to thank CMAP once again.
Camille Borella : I really enjoyed this training course on interest-based negotiation, which taught me that one of the keys to interest-based negotiation is to define and prioritize one’s interests, and to re-evaluate them during the course of the negotiation.
To find out more about Maître Jocelyne Dulac and Camille Borella :
Jocelyne Dulac has been a member of the Paris Bar since 1992. She assists, advises and represents clients throughout France in legal and judicial matters relating to business law, labor law and criminal business law. Ms. Dulac is also trained in new tools for amicable dispute resolution, in particular the Collaborative Process.
Camille Borella is a legal advisor to the French Development Agency (AFD), with a particular focus on European funds.
“Nanterre’s DU MARD is proud to welcome Camille BORELLA and Jocelyne DULAC to its ranks, having been elected Laureates 2021 of the Concours International de la Médiation Commerciale organized by CMAP.”- Université Paris X Nanterre
Camille Borella and Jocelyne Dulac are winners of the Concours de la Médiation Commerciale organized by the Centre de la Médiation et de l’Arbitrage de Paris.
To find out more about the competition : https://www.cmap.fr/concours-de-la-mediation-commerciale/
To register for the CMAP competition: https://site.evenium.net/concours-de-la-mediation-commerciale-2022-cmap-institut-131/registration
