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Editorial The last edition of News and Views announced a few changes in the Branch: a new Chairman and a new editor. This edition heralds some more changes that will be more obvious to its readers. Firstly we have a new, colour front cover. The Committee has been debating for some time about updating the look of News and Views and I was given the task of doing something about it. I hope the new cover will continue the tradition of the look of a newsletter worthy of a learned society of professionals, whilst taking into account the new corporate image being used by the Institute. The Institute's magazine "Arbitration" uses the shield from the central part of the crest and is entitled "The International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management", acknowledging the roles that the last three now play in both dispute resolution and the activities of the Institute. I make no apology therefore for following in the footsteps of the Institute adopting the shield and including mediation and dispute management in the title of this newsletter. At the same time the cover has been simplified and you will now find our charity and ISSN number and circulation on the bottom of the back page. In their place you now have our website address which we hope both members and non members will increasingly use. Given its prominence in the construction sector perhaps we should also have included adjudication in the title as well. However, the Branch is very aware that a large proportion of its members do not practice in the construction field. Responding to criticisms that the monthly meetings were perhaps too frequently biased towards construction, in the last four months we have had talks both on costs and complaints about solicitors. We hope that we are redressing the balance and providing more of interest to the wider membership. The second change is the typeface for the text of the magazine. I realise that until recently Times New Roman was regarded as the most easily readable typeface. Research has now apparently shown that some sans serif faces are now accepted as equally readable and so we are using one of them. I hope you like the updated look, no doubt if you do not you will let me know! Or perhaps you will let me know if you do. At the Branch AGM held on 13 March 2007, we welcomed two new members of the Committee. They are Anne Kenny and Philip Fidler, both of whom have served on the Committee before and will be known to many of you who I am sure will join me in welcoming them both back again. Details of the AGM will be published in the next edition of News and Views and also on the Branch website. Murray Armes |
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