Whereas litigation is a ‘destructive’ process, which may consume each of the parties involved, i.e. resulting in the end in only the lawyers walking away as ‘financial’ winners, value can be added in Mediation for the benefit of the participants, where synergy is created through constructive problem-solving. This requires commercial awareness. So, when preparing their lay client for Mediation, a Mediation Advocate and their lay client, each need to think about the dispute resolution process as being a ‘commercial proposition’ or ‘commercial transaction’. Whilst many courses are taught at British Universities and by professional training providers about ‘Mediation’, with the exception of the education and training courses provided by the Bar Council and Standing Conference of Mediation Advocates (www.scmastandards.com), almost no academic teaching and professional training is currently being provided in the UK to students and practitioners, about Mediation Advocacy: theory; practice; and skills. So, there is a huge gap in the market for these education and training services. I developed commercial awareness, and my ‘commercial’ negotiation skills, whilst working at the ‘coal face’ as a negotiator of contracts for major projects, and in settling commercial disputes, when working in-house in my late 20’s and early 30’s. To me these skills are like riding a bike. However, they are not obvious. At 4pm GMT on Thursday 24 October 2024, I am presenting a one hour online seminar for the SCMA worldwide about ‘Mediation Advocacy in Trust & Estate Disputes.’ In this online talk I will share with my global audience some of the secrets of successful commercial negotiation that I have learned over my long career, which are transferable to the successful negotiation of terms of settlement in a trust/estate dispute. The 1st secret – is ‘Think about the dispute as being a commercial proposition/transaction!’ It is easy when you know how. But I wonder, how many times have you and your counterpart, when meeting in Mediation, thoroughly prepared to actually do this? I would love to hear your thoughts and about your experience of the commercial sophistication, or lack of it, by your counterparts in negotiating a ‘commercial’ deal in Mediation, as I suspect that the significant gap I have spotted in the teaching of students and professional training of lawyers, is not liimited to my jurisdiction!