Mr Ben Waters

I am a qualified Solicitor, an accredited Mediator and Principal Lecturer in Law. I established and currently lead the CLOCK in Kent community outreach project, a social justice initiative based at Canterbury Law Courts. I am the founder of the University’s Mediation Clinic, the first of its kind to be based in a UK university.

Having joined the world of academia from private legal practice in 2005, I have brought with me extensive experience of general civil litigation including effective practical negotiation skills in the area of dispute resolution. Since becoming a mediator, I have conducted in excess of 60 mediations.

My practical expertise is underpinned with a sound understanding of negotiation and mediation theory, areas in which I now have an academic specialism. I have published widely and presented conference papers on dispute resolution and legal education and have a particular interest in experiential learning.

My interest in legal education led to my appointment as the Learning Resources Reviews Editor for The Law Teacher; The International Journal of Legal Education, the peer reviewed Law journal published quarterly by Routledge, which has a global circulation to over 2,300 institutions.

I have a degree in History & Education (Surrey) a Postgraduate Diploma in Law (UWE) and a Master’s in Education Studies (CCCU). I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. In 2016 I was awarded the University Teaching Excellence Award (Innovation) and have been twice nominated by my institution for a National Teaching Fellowship Award.

I take a socio-legal teaching approach and through my interest in experiential approaches to legal education, I am responsible as convener for extra-curricular student competitions in the area of dispute resolution. In 2020 I coached the CCCU team to victory in the UK Student Mediation Competition for Law Schools.

I have extensive practical legal knowledge and being a Solicitor (non-practising), I am a member of the Law Society of England and Wales. I am supportive of socio-critical legal education and through an interest in experiential teaching and learning approaches I have developed the innovative dispute resolution curriculum as a defined pathway within the LLB Law Degree, for which I was awarded the prestigious CCCU University Teaching Excellence Award (Innovation) 2016.

Some of my committee, networking and organisational affiliations, are as follows:

• Editorial Board Member and Learning Resources & Reviews Editor: The Law Teacher (peer reviewed Law journal published quarterly by Routledge);
• Board Member: Academic Committee Civil Mediation Council;
• Trustee and Chair: Canterbury & District Mediation Service (2010-2019);
• Board Member: Kent Dispute Resolution Network (co-founding member);
• National Mediation Providers Association (institutional membership rep);
• Board Member and Chair: UK Student Mediation Competition.

Academic responsibility

for the following undergraduate modules:

• Dispute Resolution (BA/BSc Scheme) 2018 -
• Introduction to Dispute Resolution (BA/BSc Scheme) 2013 – 2018
• Theory of Dispute Resolution (BA/BSc Scheme) 2007 –2018
• Civil & Commercial Mediation (BA/BSc Scheme) 2011 –
• Law of Tort (BA/BSc Scheme) 2010-2012
• Community Conflict Resolution (BA/BSc Scheme) 2010
• English Legal System (BA/BSc Scheme) 2008-2012
• Practice of Dispute Resolution (BA/BSc Scheme) 2008-2010
• The Individual in Relation to Crime & Justice (BA/BSc Scheme) 2008-10
• Introduction to Law (BA/BSc Scheme) 2006-08
• Introduction to Law (Policing) 2005-08
• FI & Criminal Justice System (BA/BSc Scheme) 2006-08
• Introduction to Law (BA/BSc Scheme) 2006-08
• Introduction to Law (Policing) 2005-08

External examining responsibilities

• University of Gloucestershire - LLB Law;
• University of Strathclyde - LLM/MSc Mediation & Conflict Resolution.

Selected activities

During the Spring Semester 2013, I was a visiting scholar on the University of Pennsylvania Law School's International Research Scholar Program; https://www.law.upenn.edu/international/visitors/scholars.php.

As part of my postgraduate studies, I have engaged in research into students' perceptions of the efficacy of role-play simulation as a means of studying mediation.

Successful funding bids have included:

• 2016 - HEIF Research internship (£2,500) - A Study into the Destination of Law Leavers.
• 2014-15 - RED Research Internships (£5,000) - An Analysis of Local & Regional Solicitors’ Attitudes to and Use of Mediation.
• 2014 - HEIF4 Funding (£2,000) for the exploration of partnerships with local companies for workplace mediation at Sandwich Discovery Park.
• 2010-11 - HEIF4 Funding (£20,000) - for development of the Mediation Clinic Project 2010.
• 2009 - Nuffield Foundation: Social Science Small Grant Award (£7450), assisted S Tong with a successful application to fund an evaluation into adult prison victim/offender RJ mediation.
• 2007-09 - RIT Funding: "Research In Teaching" funding (£18,000) for establishing the Mediation Clinic Project.
• Waters B D, Routledge Essential SQE1 Series Guide on Dispute Resolution, (Forthcoming in 2022); https://www.routledge.com/Essential-Dispute-Resolution-for-SQE1/Waters/p/book/9781032111223 (Commissioned by Routledge). Waters B D, 'Alternative Dispute Resolution and Civil Justice: A Relationship Resolved?’. Arbitration: The Int’l J. of Arb., Med. & Dispute Mgmt 88, no. 1 (2022): 1–31. https://kluwerlawonline.com/journalarticle/Arbitration:+The+International+Journal+of+Arbitration,+Mediation+and+Dispute+Management/88.10/AMDM2022002
• Waters B D, Co-Author/Lead Editor, Learning Legal Skills and Reasoning, 5th Edition, (Routledge, 2021); https://www.routledge.com/Learning-Legal-Skills-and%20Reasoning/Hanson-Kliem-Waters/p/book/9780367249267
• Waters B D, The Solicitors Qualifying Examination: Something for All? Some Challenges Facing Law Schools in England & Wales, The Law Teacher, 52.4 (2018): 519-527; https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03069400.2018.1514570
• Waters B D, Co-Author/Lead Editor, ADR Principles & Practice 4th Edition, by Brown & Marriott, (Sweet & Maxwell, 2018); https://www.sweetandmaxwell.co.uk/Catalogue/ProductDetails.aspx?productid=671478&recordid=7415
• Waters B D, and Ashton J, A Study into Situated Learning through Community Legal Companionship, International Journal of Clinical Legal Education, 25:2 (2018), 1-47; http://www.northumbriajournals.co.uk/index.php/ijcle/article/view/721/1118  
• Waters B D, et al, Mediating Serious Crime with Institutional Affiliation, (unpublished): http://create.canhttp://www.sweetandmaxwell.co.uk/Catalogue/ProductDetails.aspx?productid=671478&recordid=7415terbury.ac.uk/14185/
• Waters B D, The Importance of Teaching Dispute Resolution in a 21st Century Law School, The Law Teacher, 51.2 (2017): 227-248; http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03069400.2016.1162069
• Waters B D with Gordon-Bouvier E and Siliafis K; A Study into the Destination of Law Leavers (2016): http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/15811/
• Waters B D, A Part to Play; The Value of Role-Play Simulation in the Undergraduate Law Curriculum, The Law Teacher 50.2 (2016), 172-194; http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03069400.2016.1162404
• Waters B D, ‘Mediation’, in Learning Legal Skills and Reasoning, Hanson S., (Routledge, 2015); https://www.routledge.com/Learning-Legal-Skills-and-Reasoning-4th-Edition/Hanson/p/book/9780415830195
• Waters B D, Widening Participation in Higher Education: The Legacy for Legal Education, The Law Teacher, 47:2 (2013), 261-269; http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03069400.2013.790153
• Waters B D, ‘Mediation and Experiential Learning’, International Journal of Clinical Legal Education, Autumn 2011, 90-95. http://www.northumbriajournals.co.uk/index.php/ijcle/article/viewFile/48/52
• Waters B D, ‘The Legal Issues Relating to Infection Control’, in ‘Infection Control: A psychosocial approach to changing practice’, by Elliott, P. (Radcliffe, 2009); https://www.crcpress.com/Infection-Control-A-Psychosocial-Approach-to-Changing-Practice/Elliott/p/book/9781857756128 For a full list please contact me on: ben.waters@canterbury.ac.uk

Selected

• Waters, B. D, Paper: The Art of Founding a Mediation Clinic: presented at The Learning By Doing Conference, University of Strathclyde, (February 2021).

• Waters B D, Paper: The Art of Writing an Effective Abstract, presented at The Association of Law Teachers Conference, De Montfort University, (April 2019).
• Waters, B D, Paper; Alternative Dispute Resolution and Civil Justice: A Relationship Resolved?, presented at The Society of Legal Scholars Conference, at Queen Mary University of London, (September 2018).
• Waters, B D, Paper; How Can We SQEeze it All In? Some Challenges Facing Law Schools in England and Wales, presented at The Legal Education and Training Review: Where are we 5 Years On? Conference, at Leeds Beckett University, (June 2018).
• Waters, B D, et al. Paper; "CLOCK as a Transformative Methodology; Exploring How the CLOCK Initiative has Transformed Theory and Practice in Legal Education", presented at the Association of Law Teachers Conference, Keele University, (March, 2018).
• Waters, B D, Paper; The Value of Community Participation from the Perspective of Law School Undergraduates involved as Community Legal Companions, presented at the International Journal of Clinical Legal Education/Clinical Legal Education Organisation Conference, Northumbria University, (July 2017).
• Waters, B D, Paper; The Role of Mediation in Domestic and International Dispute Settlement, presented at the Contemporary International Law Issues in Context, Law Summer Conference, CCCU, (June 2017).
• Waters, B D, with Ashton J, Paper; Situated Learning through the CLOCK Community Legal Companion Scheme Project, presented at the Association of Law Teachers Conference, University of Portsmouth, (April 2017).
• Waters, B D, Presentation; CLOCK in Kent - The Community Legal Companion Scheme at Canterbury Combined Court, Kent Family Justice Board Conference, Maidstone, (November 2016).
  
• Waters, B D, Paper; The Importance of Teaching Dispute Resolution In a 21st Century Law School, presented at the 50th Annual Conference of the Association of Law Teachers, Cardiff, (March, 2015).
• Waters, B D, Presentation; Kent 20/20 Vision Event, Business Exhibition and Conference, Mediation & Your Business, (April, 2012).
• Waters, B D, Paper; The Mediation Clinic Project, presented at the Adventures in Learning and Teaching, Inter-Faculty Conference, CCCU, (April, 2009).
• Waters, B D, Paper; ‘How a Mediation Clinic Can Inform the Curriculum’, presented at the International Journal of Clinical Legal Education Conference, Cork University, (July, 2008).
• Waters, B D, Paper; The Mediation Clinic Project An RIT Funded Initiative; Paper presented at Canterbury Christ Church University Inter-Faculty Conference (April, 2008).
• Waters, B. D, Paper with Cohen, C, and Phipps, J: ‘Diversity, Policing and Alternative Dispute Resolution’, presented at the Education and Extremism Conference at Roehampton University, (July, 2007).