Areas of Practice: 

Civil|Commercial|Defamation|Employment|Environmental/Public Policy|Financial Services|Insurance Claims|International|Landlord/Tenant|Professional Malpractice|Real Estate|Rights of Way, Boundaries and Adverse Possession|Shareholder Disputes|Trainer|Wills, Trusts & Estates|Accident / Personal Injury|Construction|Intellectual Property Rights|Patents|Technology|Government|Products Liability|Representational Legal Practice

Bio

John Sturrock KC is recognised as the leading commercial mediator in Scotland, with a practice which extends to London, mainland Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere. He is mediator of choice in major commercial, business and other sensitive or complex disputes or senior management level differences. Since leaving active practice at the Scottish Bar in 2002, John Sturrock has pursued a full-time career in mediation, being instrumental in the development of mediation in Scotland in commerce and industry, the professions, the public sector and a wide range of organisations. He has been described in Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession (where he is listed in Band 1 of Best of the UK Mediators) as a “trailblazer” and “a wonderful communicator with much experience of complex commercial issues. In the art of shuttle diplomacy, he is virtually unmatched”. Legal 500 has described John Sturrock as “universally regarded as Scotland’s finest mediator, with a reputation which compares favourably with mediators anywhere. Undertaking mediations across of a wide spectrum of practice areas, he moves to achieve settlement with a combination of humour, tact and sheer drive”. As founder and CEO of Core Solutions Group, Sturrock has blazed the trail for mediation in Scotland, and has established Core as the pre-eminent provider of mediation services in Scotland. He is a mediator with Brick Court Chambers in London and a panel member of the Singapore International Mediation Centre. Sturrock also leads highly regarded mediation, conflict management and negotiation courses which have established Core as a key provider in this field, working with many top companies and organisations throughout the UK, both in-house and in open courses. Sturrock has led training in many locations and, as an internationally-recognised mediation trainer and coach, he has been described as “one of the best teachers of mediation”. Sturrock also specialises in training for high profile sports leaders, including with UK Sport, and works with various parliamentary bodies throughout the UK (including the Scottish Parliament, the Houses of Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly) in a coaching capacity in specialist questioning techniques and preparation strategies. He is a member of UK-wide Sport Resolutions Panel of Mediators and of Standards Commission of the International Mediation Institute. Sturrock has contributed numerous articles to specialist journals and the national press on mediation, conflict, cooperation and political issues. In 2010, he was awarded an honorary degree by Edinburgh Napier University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts; was Specialist of the Year at the Inaugural Scottish Legal Awards February 2003; and Mediator of the Year in Scotland in 2009. He was appointed a Visiting Professor at the University of Edinburgh in 2016.

Professional Information

Practice Description

As a mediator, John Sturrock offers a facilitative approach, underpinned with rigorous preparation and analysis. Adept at working with people at every level, he is respected for his ability to cut to the heart of issues while helping the parties to work through issues at their pace and with a sense of responsibility for making choices and for the outcome, often ensuring that the final deal is done by the principals. Sturrock works creatively with the mediation process, being willing to try new approaches and seeking always to create a collaborative environment. Sturrock has over 500 mediations under his belt, with diverse subject matter in the private and public sectors, and clients from the UK, Ireland, USA, Middle East, India, Australia, Holland and elsewhere. Topics mediated include banking, financial services, building and construction, commercial contracts, corporate, IP and IT, procurement, property development, acquisition of businesses, oil and gas, environment, higher and secondary education, fund management, legal services, health services and other professional issues, senior level management, boardroom and partnership disputes, farming and other family businesses; sports governing bodies; major charities and multi-party employment issues. Many of these matters have raised complex issues, some have involved multiple parties, most have resolved in a day. The value of claims has ranged from tens of thousands of pounds to hundreds of millions. In a number of instances, Sturrock has designed processes to enable discussion and resolution of complex issues over a period of time. Sturrock has been a pioneer in taking mediation into non-litigious areas, and is significantly involved in policy and political facilitation in Scotland and the UK. He is viewed as a thought-leader.

Education Training:
LLB Honours (First Class), University of Edinburgh 1980; LLM, University of Pennsylvania, 1985; LLD (Hon), Edinburgh Napier University, 2010; Admitted to the Faculty of Advocates (Scottish Bar) 1986; Trained in Negotiation at Harvard University 1996; CEDR accredited as mediator 1996.