Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Comparative Perspectives: Nigeria, the UK, and the US

Author

Chinwe Egbunike-Umegbolu (Author)

ISBN: 978-3-031-57478-8

Published: 24 July 2025

Format: Paperback

Language: English

Publisher: Springer (Springer Cham)

Description

This book offers a comparative examination of Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) across three jurisdictions — Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Dr. Chinwe Egbunike-Umegbolu critically assesses the effectiveness of mediation, arbitration, restorative justice, collaborative law, conciliation, ombuds schemes, early neutral evaluation, and online dispute resolution (ODR) in settling civil, commercial, employment, and even criminal disputes. The work introduces Traditional African Methods of Settling Disputes (TAMSD) and the multi-door courthouse (MDC) model, and advances a provocative thesis: that a ‘legal transplant’ can flow from a less complex society to a more complex one — reversing the conventional assumption that transplants move only from more complex systems to less complex ones. Grounded in qualitative and quantitative research, including clinical legal education and podcast-based advocacy, it sets out the skills, techniques, and statutory frameworks for each ADR mechanism, with national and international examples.

Key Features

• Comparative analysis of ADR systems in Nigeria, the UK, and the US
• Covers mediation, arbitration, restorative justice, collaborative law, conciliation, ombuds, early neutral evaluation, and online dispute resolution (ODR)
• Introduces Traditional African Methods of Settling Disputes (TAMSD) and the multi-door courthouse model
• Advances an original ‘reverse legal transplant’ argument
• Empirical findings drawn from clinical legal education and podcast advocacy
• Part of Springer’s Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice series (vol. 113)

Coverage

• Contemporary overview of ADR and access to justice
• Types of dispute resolution and their effectiveness
• Legal transplant theory in a comparative context
• ADR in criminal law, employment law, and business & human rights due diligence
• Clinical legal education and mass advocacy of ADR

About the Author

Dr. Chinwe Egbunike-Umegbolu is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and a Research Fellow at the University of Brighton (School of Business and Law). She is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and a Fellow of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution (Mediation Committee). She holds an LLM in Dispute Resolution from Kingston University London and a PhD from the University of Brighton.

Table of Contents

1. Contemporary Overview of Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR)
2. Types of Dispute Resolution and Its Effectiveness
3. Legal Transplant
4. Clinical Education / Mass Advocacy of ADR Via Podcasting — Findings
5. Analysis on Clinical Education Via Podcast: Qualitative and Quantitative
6. Conclusion and Recommendations

Why buy this book?

For practitioners, scholars, and institutions seeking a rigorous, comparative treatment of ADR that bridges common-law practice and African traditions, this volume is a distinctive reference. It equips mediators, arbitrators, litigators, judges, and policymakers with both the theory and the practical frameworks to design and reform dispute resolution systems — and to broaden access to justice across jurisdictions.

Keywords

Appropriate Dispute Resolution, ADR, mediation, arbitration, restorative justice, collaborative law, online dispute resolution, multi-door courthouse, access to justice, legal transplant, comparative law, Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States

Target Audience

Lawyers, arbitrators, mediators, legal academics, law libraries, judges, in-house counsel, dispute resolution practitioners, postgraduate law students

Genre

Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Arbitration, International & Comparative Law, Legal Reference

Questions & Answers

Q: What is Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR)?
A: ADR refers to methods of resolving disputes outside traditional court litigation — including mediation, arbitration, conciliation, restorative justice, collaborative law, and online dispute resolution. This book examines how these mechanisms operate across Nigeria, the UK, and the US.

Q: How does this book compare dispute resolution in Nigeria, the UK, and the US?
A: It assesses the effectiveness of each ADR mechanism in all three jurisdictions, drawing on traditional African methods, common-law practice, and the multi-door courthouse model to highlight what each system can learn from the others.

Q: What is the ‘legal transplant’ argument in this book?
A: The author argues that legal transplants can flow from a less complex society to a more complex one — contrary to the usual assumption — showing that traditional African dispute-resolution practices can inform modern legal systems.

Q: Who should read this book?
A: Lawyers, mediators, arbitrators, judges, legal academics, law libraries, and postgraduate students interested in comparative dispute resolution and access to justice.

Q: Where can I buy Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Comparative Perspectives?
A: You can order it directly from CLNZ Books at https://clnzbooks.com/products/appropriate-dispute-resolution-comparative. We ship worldwide by international courier (DHL / FedEx) and accept payment by credit card and PayPal. Price includes worldwide shipping.

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