The National Law Institute University (NLIU) and the International Academy of Dispute Resolution (INADR) will host a four-day competition on mediation from February 16.

The competition will begin with a workshop to familiarize competitors with finer points of mediation. Afterwards, four rounds will determine the winners. Each round will have a unique problem and participating teams will endeavour to reach a peaceful settlement. Experts in the field of mediation, including Richard Calkins, H Case Ellis, Thomas Valenti and Rahim Shamji will be the judges for the event.

INADR is the US-based academy set up to promote alternative dispute resolution methods as a substitute to conventional litigation. In the past 11 years, the academy has held competition each year in Chicago and London. This is the first time, the competition will be held in India.

Mediation, an emerging trend, is increasingly becoming a preferred choice as a method to settle legal disputes in amicable manner. Keeping this in mind, the competition seeks to create awareness about it and hone law students' skills.

The competition is expected to see a good response with more than 30 teams from various Indian law schools competing in the event, organizers said. The NLIU will distribute 10 awards and Rs 1.2 lakh is prize money.