NIVAARAN & CLA Present Guest Lecture By Mia Forbes Pirie On 'Navigating Difficult Personalities & India's Rise As A Mediation Powerhouse'

NIVAARAN, Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) is organizing a Guest Lecture On 'Navigating Difficult Personalities & India's Rise as a Mediation Powerhouse'

The lecture will be delievered by Mia Forbes Pirie, International Mediator, Facilitator and Coach.

Guest of Honour is Steven Thiru, President Commonwealth Lawyers Association.

The event will be hosted by Varuna Bhandari Gugnani, Advocate & Mediator, Supreme Court of India

The details of the event are as follows:

Date: 27th March, 2025

Time: 6 PM IST/ 12:30 PM GMT

Mode: Online

Click on the link to watch LIVE: https://youtube.com/live/kP95X8Rc6XQ?feature=share

Mediation is both an art and a science—one that requires navigating complex personalities while also seizing new opportunities for growth. In this engaging and insightful talk, Mia Forbes Pirie, an internationally recognized mediator and coach, will explore two critical questions: How do we handle difficult personalities in mediation? and Could India be the next big global hub for mediation?

As India cements its place as a global economic powerhouse, the demand for effective dispute resolution is at an all-time high. With its deep-rooted traditions of dialogue and consensus-building, could India be uniquely positioned to lead the world in mediation?

About the speaker:

Mia Forbes Pirie is an award-winning international mediator, facilitator, and coach known for helping people navigate difficult conversations. A former City solicitor, she left the legal world to dedicate her career to conflict resolution, working with governments, politicians, think tanks, and organizations such as the G7, the European Commission, and the Church of England. She mediates commercial and workplace disputes and facilitates dialogues on some of the most pressing global issues. Topics she has mediated on are as varied as space, football, politics, religion and race.

Mia is the UK Independent Mediator of the Year 2021-22 (Corporate International Award) and a co-founder of Lares Partners and APROPOS (Advancing Process in Politics). She is also collaborating with UCL's Disagreeing Well skills series.

Through The Conversations Coach, Mia helps people apply mediation tools to everyday life, improving conversations and relationships. Her TEDx talk, "Polarisation: The Dark Side of Compassion", highlights how mediation can help us navigate an increasingly divided world.

In this lecture, Mia will draw on her extensive experience working with governments, businesses, and individuals to share practical strategies for handling challenging mediation scenarios while exploring the role India could play in shaping the future of global dispute resolution.

About the Guest of Honour

Steven Thiru is the Managing Partner of Messrs. Steven Thiru in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and a senior litigation lawyer specializing in administrative, constitutional, commercial, corporate, employment, energy, and native title law. He frequently appears as senior counsel in superior and appellate courts. A law graduate from the University of Leicester, he was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple) before joining the Malaysian Bar and later earned an LL.M. from the University of Malaya. Recognized for his expertise, he has been ranked by Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Asialaw, Chambers Asia Pacific, and Benchmark Litigation, with accolades including the Legal 500 Hall of Fame (2025). A dedicated CLA member since 1999, he has held various leadership roles, including Vice President (Australasia) and CLA Exco member, and spearheaded the inaugural Bar Leaders Forum at the Commonwealth Law Conference in Goa (2023). With 32 years of experience, including a decade on Malaysia's Bar Council and serving as its President (2015–2016), he is currently a Vice President of LAWASIA.