Hayman seeks help

Top in-house lawyer Martin Hayman has pledged to target pro bono work from urban law firms to support the work of Mediation UK, where he has just taken over as chairman.Mr Hayman is a former general counsel of Standard Chartered Bank and Cadbury Schweppes, and also spent four years as a director of the Centre for Dispute Resolution.Mediation UK is an umbrella organisation for 250 mediation suppliers, offering free advice for neighbours' disputes, abuse and violence allegations, and other local community issues across the country.The suppliers work mainly in tandem with local authorities and are often funded partly by them, and central government, as well as the National Lottery and charities such as the Rowntree Foundation.But Mr Hayman said he wanted to provide a more stable funding basis - to raise the average yearly spend from 450,000 to 550,000 - and to establish more consistency in its funding sources.He intends to target City and urban law firms - starting in Bristol, where Mediation UK is based with 12 staff - which he wants to persuade to provide mediation on a pro bono basis for the organisation.This would give their own staff good training, and also provide an interface for public law specialist solicitors' firms with local authorities and local communities, he said.Mr Hayman has spent time in Africa in the past, working for Standard Chartered's charities.

He says: 'You can't just go and and take out without giving back - we'll all pay in the end if that's what happens.'Jeremy Fleming