MDisputes is a new company devoted entirely to providing in-house support to private and public organizations facing international disputes.

Founded by Michael Mcilwrath, following a career as the head of litigation for General Electric’s Oil & Gas division and most recently as Vice President of Litigation for Baker Hughes Company, MDisputes aims to help organizations bring the risks and costs of conflicts under control.

“In my 22 years as in-house litigation counsel for some of the world’s largest companies, I have seen how organizations respond differently to disputes, especially when they arise outside of a home jurisdiction,” Mcilwrath said. “For example, when facing an international arbitration or a litigation in a foreign court, some of the first questions anyone asks are: how should we handle this, who should handle it, what is the risk, how much will it cost, and even, are there ways to fund this or make it affordable?”

“We started MDisputes to make it easier for companies of any size to get to the rights answers quickly, and manage their disputes in the most efficient way.”

MDisputes’ in-house litigation support includes assistance with:
• assessing disputes, resolving them early, and managing those that do not settle,
• defining clear objectives and developing strategies to achieve them,
• retaining counsel and experts, keeping in mind that fees should be reasonable for the amount in dispute,
• appointing mediators and arbitrators,
• preparing claims so they can be considered for financing by third parties,
• elevating soft skills across an organization, for example by providing negotiation training or courses tailor-made to address and mitigate key risk areas.

The company has a dedicated staff plus an international network of highly-regarded collaborators with deep expertise in international arbitration, mediation, on-line dispute resolution (ODR), complex engineering, and training. This allows MDisputes to assist with a broad range of challenging international disputes in existing and emerging markets, such as energy transition and decarbonization.
“Efficient dispute management has an important role to play in the Race to Zero” says Annette Magnusson, Co-Founder of Climate Change Counsel. “We are pleased to be part of the MDisputes network of international collaborators and look forward to support climate change mitigation measures in general and energy transition in particular in the MDisputes context.”
MDisputes operates on principles of transparency and collaboration with all stakeholders, including other in-house team members and external counsel, applying the highest levels of integrity and modern standards of ethical conduct, diversity, and low-environmental impact.
“By working collaboratively, MDisputes can assist with an organization’s ongoing improvement efforts while at the same time reducing the costs of conflict,” Mcilwrath adds. “These improvements will remain long after our support has been provided.”

For more information, contact:

MDisputes Srl
www.mdisputes.com
Contact: info@mdisputes.com

MICHAEL MCILWRATH, the founder of MDisputes, spent 22 years as in-house litigation counsel at General Electric and, most recently, as Vice President of Litigation at former GE subsidiary Baker Hughes. He lives in Florence, Italy, and works in the field of international dispute resolution. He is currently an adjunct professor at Bocconi School of Law in Milan, the Chair of the ICC’s Governing Body for Dispute Resolution Services, a member of the Officers Committee of the Mediation Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA), and a member of the Organizing Committee of the Florence International Dispute Resolution Academy. He was the Chair of the Global Pound Conference in 2016-17 and a Board Member of the International Mediation Institute (IMI) from 2008 to 2020, as well as IMI’s President in 2009-10. In 2017, Arbitral Women recognized Michael as a Champion of Change for promoting diversity in international arbitration.