Eileen Carroll KC (Hon)
Principal Mediator & Co-Founder
Short Introduction
I take pride in having a very proactive approach to mediation and the trust that clients and lawyers have placed in me to be on top of the detail and use my skill and experience to create the best environment for opponents to negotiate.
“Eileen is energetic, friendly and immensely experienced. She creates a dynamic that drives towards finding a solution and offers a degree of insight that few others can match."
Testimonials
About Work
Eileen is recognised as one of the pioneers of mediation techniques in the U.K and with 30 years’ experience as a practising mediator, she is one of the most senior and highly regarded mediators in the country. As co-founder of CEDR, she played a central role in establishing mediation as a key part of the civil justice system and in 2013, Eileen was awarded Queen’s Counsel Honoris Causa status in recognition of her “outstanding career as a commercial mediator.”
Eileen’s mediation practice has a very broad commercial perspective, working with clients on claims relating to dozens of different sectors and activities. Eileen has mediated some of the most complex and high-value disputes in the UK and internationally, involving multinationals, sovereign states and private individuals spanning the financial services sector (including banking, insurance and pensions); IT and telecommunications sector; the public sector; property; employment; construction & engineering, infrastructure; pensions; partnership; joint ventures; shareholder disputes; media; music; trademarks and intellectual property, Energy and Railway industry franchising.
Recognised for her dynamic and proactive approach, Eileen combines thorough preparation with the ability to build trust and rapport across a wide range of individuals and organisations. Her style balances facilitation and evaluation: she encourages collaboration while also reality-testing options and highlighting commercial perspectives. Highly numerate and detail-oriented, she is confident in handling sensitive and high-stakes negotiations, including those involving multiple parties and international stakeholders. Clients often describe her as patient, constructive, and direct when needed, helping to unlock deadlocks and move parties towards workable solutions.
Expertise
- Employment & Workplace
- Commercial & Corporate
- Construction, Property & Planning
- Banking, Finance & Insurances
- Public Sector & Governance
- Culture, Lifestyle & Sport
- Industry, Energy & Environment
- International Trade & Competition
- Healthcare & Personal Matters
- Technology, Media & IP
Languages
- English
Awards
Other Awards
Co-founder of CEDR (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution)
CEDR-Accredited Mediator since 1990
Member of the CEDR Panel since 1991
New York-based CPR Institute of Dispute Resolution Award for excellence in alternative dispute resolution, 1997
Entrepreneurial Award from European Union of Women 2005
Appointed Queen’s Counsel Honoris Causa (KC Hon) in 2013 by the Ministry of Justice for outstanding contributions to mediation and civil justice
Recognised in Chambers & Partners Guide to the Legal Profession (Band One)
Recognised in The Legal 500 (Tier 1)
Memberships
- CPR Institute Panel of Distinguished Neutrals (New York)
- Singapore International Mediation Centre
- Vienna International Arbitration Centre
- The China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC)
- Abu Dhabi (ADGM) Investor State Mediators Panel
- Member of the Advisory panel of the Conflict Analysis Research Centre (CARC) at the University of Kent
- Member of the Council of Distinguished Advisors of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University, California
- Chair of Mary Parker Follett Group of International Female Mediators
Publications
International Mediation: Breaking Business Deadlock (3rd edition, 2016), co-authored with Dr Karl Mackie CBE.
The Mediator’s Tale: The CEDR Story of Better Conflicts (Bloomsbury, 2021).
Contributor to Butterworth’s Mediators on Mediation.