Vol. 1: Yearbook of the ADBR Lab Ano 1 – 2018

Opening Note

It is with great pleasure and pride that we publish (or rather, put online) the first issue of the ADR Lab Annual Review.

The Alternative Dispute Resolution Laboratory/ADR Lab, currently part of the NOVA Dispute Resolution Forum, was established in 2007 with the mission to develop activities related to alternative dispute resolution methods, particularly negotiation, mediation, conciliation, and arbitration. It is characterized by a strong openness to the extra-academic community and aims to invest in education, research, reflection, and the dissemination of information about alternative dispute resolution methods.

Among its various initiatives, we should highlight the University Extension Course in Arbitration (7 editions), the Mediators Training Course (4 editions), and the Introduction to Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods Course. Additionally, there is the Forensic and Arbitration Master's program at NOVA Law, which includes two courses on Mediation and four on Arbitration. This Master's program has led to dozens of dissertations on Alternative Dispute Resolution, as well as papers within the mentioned courses.

The quantity and quality of the research produced led us to recognize the need for a platform where its results could be better disseminated. Thus, this Annual Review was created to publish texts on Alternative Dispute Resolution, especially master's theses and works conducted within the Forensic and Arbitration Master's program.

In this first issue, the collection of texts is of great interest, relevance, and academic quality. We publish the Master's thesis by Alexandra Mendes Gonçalves, dedicated to the topic of Third Party Funding; three texts on Arbitration, two of which were produced for the University Extension Course in Arbitration; two texts on Mediation, developed within the Master's course; and finally, three case commentaries on Arbitration and Mediation.

To conclude, a very special word of thanks to the coordinators António Pedro Pinto Monteiro, Artur Flamínio da Silva, Daniela Mirante, Joana Campos Carvalho, and João Pedro Pinto-Ferreira, and to the editor Francisco Arga e Lima, for their dedication and enthusiasm from the outset. With such support, anything is possible!

To all our readers, we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Mariana França Gouveia 

Full Professor and Director 

Publisher: CEDIS Press