Professional background and experience:

Trevor Bailey obtained a Bachelor of Arts and subsequently a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 1984. He is a Fulbright Scholar. In 1996, Trevor obtained a Master of Laws degree (cum laude) in international human rights law and alternative dispute resolution from the University of Notre Dame in the United States of America. In 2014, Trevor completed the Programme in Legislative Drafting (with distinction) at the University of Pretoria.

Trevor has practiced as an attorney for over 30 years and has served as an acting judge in the Labour Court. He has chaired the Gauteng Consumer Affairs Court, Rental Housing and Heritage Resources Appeal Tribunals, National Credit Regulator Board and the Council for Medical Schemes. Trevor is a CCMA commissioner, Tokiso Dispute Settlement panellist, a member of the National Consumer and Transport Appeal Tribunals, and a Community Schemes Ombud Service and Department of Environmental Affairs arbitrator.

Mediation experience and style:

Trevor is accredited as a commercial mediator through the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in the United Kingdom (CEDR) and locally with Conflict Dynamics and Tokiso. He is a court-annexed mediator and has mediated High Court, personal injury, medical schemes, property, construction and pension fund disputes.

Trevor’s mediation style is conversational. He aims to gain the parties’ trust. Through an explorative process, he facilitates conversations away from compromises and concessions into better alternatives than the parties may have in mind. It aims to end with smiles on faces.

Facilitation experience and style:

Trevor has successfully chaired facilitation processes, main agreement, wage and other employment negotiations at industry, sectoral, and shop floor levels for large para-statels and companies in the private sector. Trevor’s facilitation style may be directive by providing instruction and information; exploratory to explore opinions, ideas and positions; delegating functions and tasks to participants; or participative by guiding discussions and encouraging solutions and agreements.

Chairing enquiries and investigations experience:

Trevor has conducted investigations and disciplinary hearings in the workplace. He has sat on a range of disciplinary committees in the built environment. Trevor’s style aims to narrow the issues between the parties to reduce the length of the enquiry and pursue the disputed issues with appropriate informality and rigour within the rules of natural justice.