Ebrahim Patelia

Ebrahim trains on several Conflict Dynamics courses and he is a lead trainer, coach and assessor on the Conflict Dynamics mediator skills training course. Ebrahim is a CEDR (UK) accredited commercial mediator and is associated with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) as a part-time senior commissioner, the International Labour Organisation Training Centre (ITCILO) as a lead faculty member, the University of the Witwatersrand School of Law and the Mandela Institute (Wits) as a visiting senior lecturer.

He has successfully led and developed training, coaching and assessment initiatives for thousands of individuals in many countries. He can train diverse audiences in both substantive law and skills development on topics such as diversity and inclusion (D&I), negotiation skills, collective bargaining, conflict management, mediator skills, joint committees, mediation advocacy skills, arbitration skills, disciplinary procedures, grievance and performance management, and general labour law.

Ebrahim heads Mediate Works (Pty) Ltd and is a legal consultant at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) law firm. He specialises in employment law and is a respected mediator, arbitrator, facilitator and trainer, integrating his experience in the practice of law, dispute resolution and teaching. Whilst he primarily works in South Africa, he has also worked internationally, including in Qatar, Dubai, Guinea, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Eswatini, Malaysia, Turkey, Georgia and Turin.

As an attorney, Ebrahim has worked on several reported judgements, offers advice to bargaining councils and acts as a negotiation advisor. He has mediated and arbitrated numerous disputes in the public and private sectors, including at board member and executive level. Sectors for which he has worked include education, commercial, sectional title, family, and socio-political. Ebrahim facilitates complex multi-party disputes to achieve sustainable outcomes and restore the working relationship between parties through the use of tailored dispute resolution processes. He also often chairs disciplinary enquiries in complex and high-risk matters. He has led investigations in areas of volatile conflict, often involving discrimination and harassment claims. He has assisted organisations to understand D&I, establish D&I committees and develop work plans to successfully implement D&I strategies.

Ebrahim has co-authored a book (Appropriate Dispute Resolution: A Practical Guide to Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration, 2014). He has also authored numerous employment-related articles in various publications.

Ebrahim is available to teach in English.