JustAct

In the October 2026 edition of the JustAct Webinar Series, moderated by Neela, Public Policy Associate at JustAct, Ms. Uma Ramanathan, Managing Trustee, Foundation for Comprehensive Dispute Resolution (FCDR), discusses how mediators understand conflict, plan for a mediation and negotiate through it, and why she sees mediation as a philosophy of law. In this conversation, Ms. Uma Ramanathan explains why she sees mediation as more than a science: a philosophy of law. She notes that in India it has come to be associated mainly with matrimonial disputes, although the same dynamics apply to commercial ones. The discussion covers how a conflict is defined in the mediation room compared with a claim in court, and how planning starts with the advocates who prepare their clients and with the mediator who prepares themselves. It also covers how a mediation can be sequenced for commercial disputes, from a short written statement of the claim to a preliminary session and a joint opening statement. She speaks about the line between facilitative and evaluative mediation, which she says has blurred in practice, and questions how far Western practices, such as addressing parties by first name in the opening statement, suit Indian settings. The session also covers how mediators can keep learning beyond basic training, and how a mediator's strategy shifts across family, commercial and technical disputes, including the role of communication and expert input. About JustAct Founded in 2019, JustAct is one of India's pioneering Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platforms, offering arbitration, mediation, and negotiation services through digital, hybrid, and in-person formats. Powered by AI-enabled tools and a proprietary case management platform, JustAct makes dispute resolution fast, fair, and accessible for corporates, MSMEs, institutions, and individuals across India and beyond. In this video 0:00 – Introduction and Agenda 3:04 – Is Mediation a Science, or Something More? 6:56 – How Is the Boundary of a Conflict Defined in a Mediation Room? 12:32 – What Is in a Mediator's Toolkit? 21:28 – What Should the Mediation Process Look Like for Commercial Disputes? 24:57 – Facilitative or Evaluative: Where Should a Mediator Draw the Line? 34:21 – Is There an Indian Model of Mediation? 41:35 – How Can Mediators Keep Learning and Updating Their Toolkit? 50:46 – How Should a Mediator's Strategy Change Across Different Kinds of Disputes? 55:09 – Closing Remarks Featuring Ms. Uma Ramanathan | Managing Trustee | Foundation for Comprehensive Dispute Resolution (FCDR) | https://www.linkedin.com/in/uma-ramanathan-a1415941 Ms. Neela Sowndaravalli | Public Policy Associate, JustAct | https://www.linkedin.com/in/neela-sowndaravalli-a42077239/ Follow us on 🌐 https://www.justact.co.in 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/justact 📷 https://www.instagram.com/_just_act_