MEDIATOR
Cliff Hendler
Calm authority in complex, high-stakes disputes.
cliff@hendlermediation.com
(416) 250-5050
36+ years
Mediating complex disputes
Thousands
Of mediations conducted
Co-founder, IAM
International Academy of Mediators, 1996
Founder, DRS
Dispute Resolution Services, 1990–2010
THE PRACTICE
Authority where it matters most.
For more than 36 years, Cliff Hendler has been entrusted with thousands of disputes, including some of the most complex, high-stakes and sensitive matters in Canada. He is routinely retained in professional negligence and malpractice, product liability, aviation, class action, mass tort, institutional abuse and complex commercial disputes.
He also helped build the field in Canada. Cliff founded DRS Dispute Resolution Services LP, one of Canada’s first full-service dispute resolution firms, and served as its President from 1990 to 2010. In 1996, he co-founded the International Academy of Mediators, now more than 200 experienced commercial mediators worldwide, dedicated to advancing best practice and mentoring the next generation.
He has also shaped how lawyers learn to use mediation. He co-managed the development of the American Bar Association’s National Institute on Mediation Advocacy Program, created the Canadian Mediation Advocacy Competition and its international successor, and in 2006 contributed to the ICC International Mediation Competition, now the world’s largest law-student mediation competition. Throughout, his work has rested on three principles: integrity, excellence and persistence.
PRACTICE AREAS
Complex commercial
Product liability
Professional negligence
Institutional abuse
Class actions and mass torts
Aviation
Defamation
IN THE ROOM
Certainty, weighed against risk.
At its heart, Cliff sees his role as helping people choose between the certainty of a settlement and the risk of going to trial. Thousands of mediations give him an unusually clear sense of how a negotiation is likely to unfold and where it may stall. In multi-party and class matters, he works with counsel well before the session to design a process the dispute can support.
For more than three decades, counsel have brought him the files that matter most.
BACKGROUND
Experience and affiliations
More than 36 years as a mediator, and thousands of mediations
Founder, Hendler Mediation Inc.
Founder and leader, DRS Dispute Resolution Services LP (1990–2010)
Co-founder, International Academy of Mediators (1996)
Co-managed development of the American Bar Association’s National Institute on Mediation Advocacy Program
Creator, Canadian Mediation Advocacy Competition
Have a matter in mind?
Tell us about your file and any proposed dates, and we will confirm Cliff’s availability.