Giuseppe De Palo, Esq., is a renowned international mediator with a distinguished career spanning nearly three decades. Mr. De Palo has successfully mediated more than 2,500 domestic and cross-border disputes in over 60 countries, involving individuals from more than 90 nations. His experience spans various industries and subjects, including complex commercial disputes, contract disputes, employment, libel, medical malpractice, banking, intellectual property, construction, corporate dissolution, unfair competition and insurance coverage, among others. Notably, he has mediated cases deemed intractable, often working under challenging and dangerous circumstances. He is a coveted mediator for contentious, high-value cross-border commercial disputes that involve multiple parties from different jurisdictions, in addition to intra-organizational and labor and employment disputes. Fluent in English and Italian, Mr. De Palo has mediated numerous cases in Spanish and French.

Mr. De Palo has held key positions in leading international organizations, serving as the former ombudsman for United Nations Funds and Programmes; the co-founder and chair of the board of directors at ADR Center (Italy), one of the largest providers of conflict management and resolution services in Europe; and a director of JAMS International. His extensive background includes leading projects in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including active conflict zones, with a focus on establishing dispute resolution centers, enhancing online alternative dispute resolution (ADR) resources and training, and expanding ADR mechanisms.

Mr. De Palo provided counsel to both national and supranational parliaments and has served as an advisor to ministers of justice and economics in various countries, contributing to the development of dispute resolution policies. His prolific writings on mediation have garnered international recognition, with several of his publications being translated into multiple languages. Recognized for his contributions to the field, he is a president of the Dialogue Through Conflict Foundation and a member of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) Panel of International Distinguished Neutrals. He has also received accolades such as the CPR Outstanding Achievement Award.

Representative Matters

• Bankruptcy
• Mediated an international bankruptcy dispute involving a jurisdictional issue between two European Union member states and a non-European Union country
• Business Commercial
• Mediated an international commercial dispute within the automotive industry encompassing parties from Belgium, Italy and Germany and involving the effectiveness of braking systems between a supplier of semi-final parts and the intermediary supplier delivering to car manufacturers
• Conducted a facilitative settlement an international commercial dispute concerning the performance of a large bottling plant situated in Saudi Arabia that was turnkey delivered by an Italian manufacturer
• Arbitrated an alleged breach of an international agency agreement regarding mine exploitation rights
• Mediated a distribution dispute between a primary car manufacturer and the suppliers of certain electrical components
• Mediated a multimillion-dollar lawsuit between train operators about customer access to shared platforms and pathways in major train stations
• Conducted a facilitative settlement in a dispute between a Portuguese bottling company, an Italian water supplier and a major U.S. grocery chain regarding alleged product liability issues, including product recall and libel
• Employment Law
• Mediated a religious discrimination case against the senior leader of an international organization for hampering the career of a senior director from a different religion
• Mediated a sexual harassment claim against a senior leader of an international organization for mistakenly sharing inappropriate pictures
• Mediated a gender-based discrimination case against the senior leader of an organization for alleged harassment and discrimination
• Mediated a sexual assault case against a military commander by a civilian staff member during peace-keeping operations
• Mediated employment matters involving disputes of harassment, demotion, termination, constructive dismissal, relocation of large work units and occupational safety
• Pioneered preventative mediation interventions and other forms of conflict de-escalation as they relate to workplace investigations
• Financial Markets
• Mediated a related series of multimillion-dollar, complex disputes concerning the lawfulness of sophisticated financial instruments issued by U.K.-based banks to finance Italian local municipalities
• Intellectual Property
• Mediated an international dispute regarding the breach of licensing terms and intellectual property rights related to satellite dishes, involving parties from Israel, Italy and the United States
• Mediated a licensing dispute over an internationally distributed tobacco product, involving parties from the United Kingdom and Switzerland
• Personal Injury
• Mediated a multimillion-dollar defamation suit by a prominent international political figure against a primary news outlet concerning representation of stories affecting private life
• Mediated a multimillion-dollar defamation brought by a cabinet-level member against a primary news outlet concerning alleged connections with organized crimes
• Professional Liability
• Mediated medical malpractice cases alleging wrongful death stemming from incorrect or delayed diagnoses, as well as surgical errors, often encompassing both issues
• Mediated a wrongful death case against doctors and one of Europe’s largest hospitals arising from the performance of surgery
• Telecommunications
• Managed multiple-day mediation sessions against a global telecommunications operator regarding the exposure to electromagnetic waves for mobile phone signal transmission

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships and Affiliations

• President, Dialogue Through Conflict Foundation, 2022–2023
• Member, Panel of International Distinguished Neutrals, International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR), 2004–2023
• Member, International Ombudsman Association, 2015–2017
• Member, Italian Bar Association, District of Rimini, 1996–2021
• Member, International Advisory Board, Union of the Turkish Bars Association, 2013–2015
• Member, Board of Editorial Advisors, Negotiation Journal, 2009–2015
• Member, European Commission Drafting Committee (assisting the European Commission in preparing the European Code of Conduct for Mediators), 2004–2005

Awards

• CPR Outstanding Achievement Award (along with ADR Center), 2012

Selected publications (complete list available upon request)

Textbooks

• EU Mediation Law and Practice, edited with Mary B. Trevor, Oxford University Press, 2012
• Venturing Beyond the Classroom, Volume 2 in the Rethinking Negotiation Teaching Series, edited with C. Honeyman and J. Coben, DRI Press, 2010
• Manuale del mediatore professionista, with Leonardo D’Urso and Dwight Golann, Giuffrè, 2010
• Rethinking Negotiating Teaching, edited with C. Honeyman and J. Coben, DRI Press, 2009
• Arbitration and Mediation in the Southern Mediterranean Countries, edited with Mary B. Trevor, Kluwer Law International, 2007
• Manuale del conciliatore professionista, with Leonardo D’Urso and Dwight Golann, Giuffrè, 2004
• La risoluzione alternativa delle controversie nelle corti federali degli Stati Uniti, with Guido Guidi, Giuffrè, 1999

Research studies (published as lead author)

• “A Ten-Year-Long ‘EU Mediation Paradox’ – When an EU Directive Needs To Be More … Directive,” European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, 2018
• “Achieving a Balanced Relationship Between Mediation and Judicial Proceedings,” European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, 2016
• “Mediation as Alternative Dispute Resolution: The Functioning of Directive 52/2008/EC,” European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, 2015
• “Rebooting the Mediation Directive: Assessing the Limited Impact of Its Implementation and Proposing Measures to Increase the Number of Mediations in the EU,” European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, 2014
• “Quantifying the Costs of Not Using Mediation – A Data Analysis,” European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, 2011

Background and Education

• Ombudsman, United Nations Funds and Programmes, 2015–2022
• International Professor of Alternative Dispute Resolution Law and Practice, Mitchell Hamline School of Law, 2002–2021
• Chairman, Board of Directors, ADR Center, 1998–2015
• Associate, Wilmer Hale, 1996–1997
• Junior Lieutenant, Guardia di Finanza (Italian tax police), 1992–1993
• Ombudsman Masterclass, International Ombudsman Association, 2016
• Advanced Mediation Seminar, JAMS, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2011
• Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, 1999, 2007, 2019
• LL.M., International Dispute Resolution, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 1995
• Certificate in International Trade Law, International Training Center of the ILO, Turin, Italy, 1994
• Master’s degree (equivalent), maxima cum laude, Political Sciences and Administration, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy, 1994
• J.D., maxima cum laude, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, 1991