Giuseppe De Palo, Esq., is an international mediator and cross-border dispute resolution authority who has spent nearly 30 years helping companies, governments and NGOs resolve high-stakes conflicts quickly and cost-effectively. Recognized worldwide for his work, he has steered more than 2,500 disputes to settlements across 60 countries and among parties from more than 90 nations. Whether the matter involves a complex commercial contract, intellectual property infringement, banking loss, construction delay, insurance coverage, or libel claim, Mr. De Palo brings an ability to bridge cultural gaps and craft durable agreements, even in cases previously labeled “intractable.”

Based in New York City, Mr. De Palo maintains an active domestic practice, mediating complex commercial, employment, partnership, real estate, and tort disputes among U.S. parties in state and federal forums. The breadth of his international experience has earned him recognition within New York’s ADR community, where companies and law firms appreciate his practical grasp of commercial realities and his emphasis on efficient, durable resolutions.

Fluent in English and Italian and comfortable mediating in Spanish and French, Mr. De Palo remains especially sought after for cross-border commercial disputes that span multiple jurisdictions. In recent years he has devoted particular attention to global trade mediation, guiding exporters and importers through conflicts triggered by sanctions, supply chain breakdowns, and geopolitical turbulence. Mr. De Palo designs proactive dispute-prevention protocols and early-resolution frameworks that help businesses preserve critical supply relationships, comply with fast-changing regulations, and keep goods moving even in volatile markets.

Mr. De Palo is also at the forefront of the conversation on artificial intelligence in ADR. He conceived and hosted one of the first live “human-versus-AI” mediation competition, pitting his own skills against several generative AI platforms, to test whether machines can replicate the nuances of facilitated negotiation. The program has since been staged in more than half a dozen capital cities on four continents, sparking lively debate among practitioners, policymakers, and technologists about the responsible integration of AI into dispute-resolution processes.

Mr. De Palo has in the past counseled multinational corporations and public institutions on weaving ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their trade practices, thereby aligning responsible business conduct with effective conflict prevention. His hands-on experience extends far beyond the mediation room: he has served as the ombudsman for United Nations Funds and Programmes, conceived, and co-founded and chaired ADR Center in Italy, one of Europe’s largest dispute resolution providers. From Brussels to Beirut and Lagos to Kabul, he has led projects that establish mediation centers, expand online ADR mechanisms, and draft national dispute resolution policies.

A prolific author whose articles are translated into multiple languages, Mr. De Palo frequently advises parliaments and ministers of justice or economics on modernizing their mediation frameworks. He is president of the Dialogue Through Conflict Foundation, a member of the CPR Panel of International Distinguished Neutrals, and a recipient of the CPR Outstanding Achievement Award.

Organizations grappling with high-value disputes, whether domestic cases in New York or complex cross-border matters abroad, consistently rely on Giuseppe De Palo for mediation strategies that keep commerce moving and preserve critical relationships.

Representative Matters

• Bankruptcy
• Mediated an international bankruptcy dispute involving a jurisdictional issue between two European Union member states and a non-European Union country
• Business Commercial
• Served as party-appointed arbitrator in an international commercial arbitration involving a shareholder agreement dispute with parties from three different jurisdictions, addressing alleged violations of contractual noncompetition provisions relating to electric vehicles
• Mediated an international commercial dispute within the automotive industry encompassing parties from Belgium, Italy and Germany and involving the effectiveness of braking systems between a supplier of semi-final parts and the intermediary supplier delivering to car manufacturers
• Conducted a facilitative settlement an international commercial dispute concerning the performance of a large bottling plant situated in Saudi Arabia that was turnkey delivered by an Italian manufacturer
• Arbitrated an alleged breach of an international agency agreement regarding mine exploitation rights
• Mediated a distribution dispute between a primary car manufacturer and the suppliers of certain electrical components
• Mediated a multimillion-dollar lawsuit between train operators over customer access to shared platforms and pathways in major train stations
• Conducted a facilitative settlement in a dispute between a Portuguese bottling company, an Italian water supplier and a major U.S. grocery chain regarding alleged product liability issues, including product recall and libel
• Consumer Law
• Mediated hundreds of disputes between one of the largest US banks and consumers who were charged fees for allegedly unwanted financial products and services
• Appointed arbitrator in three related cases involving constitutional law issues arising from the dormant commerce clause and the prevalence of state law consumer credit policy over contractual choice of law
• Employment Law
• Mediated the departure of the managing director of a major international financial institution in connection with its acquisition by another international institution
• Mediated a religious discrimination case against the senior leader of an international organization for hampering the career of a senior director from a different religion
• Mediated a sexual harassment claim against a senior leader of an international organization for mistakenly sharing inappropriate pictures
• Mediated a gender-based discrimination case against the senior leader of an organization for alleged harassment and discrimination
• Mediated a sexual assault case against a military commander by a civilian staff member during peacekeeping operations
• Mediated employment matters involving disputes of harassment, demotion, termination, constructive dismissal, relocation of large work units and occupational safety
• Pioneered preventative mediation interventions and other forms of conflict de-escalation as they relate to workplace investigations
• Financial Markets
• Mediated a related series of multimillion-dollar, complex disputes concerning the lawfulness of sophisticated financial instruments issued by U.K.-based banks to finance Italian local municipalities
• Intellectual Property
• Mediated an international dispute regarding the breach of licensing terms and intellectual property rights related to satellite dishes, involving parties from Israel, Italy and the United States
• Mediated a licensing dispute over an internationally distributed tobacco product, involving parties from the United Kingdom and Switzerland
• Personal Injury
• Mediated a multimillion-dollar defamation suit by a prominent international political figure against a primary news outlet concerning representation of stories affecting private life
• Mediated a multimillion-dollar defamation brought by a cabinet-level member against a primary news outlet concerning alleged connections with organized crime
• Professional Liability
• Mediated medical malpractice cases alleging wrongful death stemming from incorrect or delayed diagnoses, as well as surgical errors, often encompassing both issues
• Mediated a wrongful death case against doctors and one of Europe’s largest hospitals arising from the performance of surgery
• Telecommunications
• Managed multiday mediation sessions against a global telecommunications operator regarding the exposure to electromagnetic waves for mobile phone signal transmission

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships and Affiliations

• President, Dialogue Through Conflict Foundation, since 2022
• Member, Panel of International Distinguished Neutrals, International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR), 2004–2023
• Member, International Ombudsman Association, 2015–2017
• Member, Italian Bar Association, District of Rimini, 1996–2021
• Member, International Advisory Board, Union of the Turkish Bars Association, 2013–2015
• Member, Board of Editorial Advisors, Negotiation Journal, 2009–2015
• Member, European Commission Drafting Committee (assisting the European Commission in preparing the European Code of Conduct for Mediators), 2004–2005

Awards

• CPR Outstanding Achievement Award (along with ADR Center), 2012

Selected publications (complete list available upon request)

Textbooks

• EU Mediation Law and Practice, edited with Mary B. Trevor, Oxford University Press, 2012
• Venturing Beyond the Classroom, Volume 2 in the Rethinking Negotiation Teaching Series, edited with C. Honeyman and J. Coben, DRI Press, 2010
• Manuale del mediatore professionista, with Leonardo D’Urso and Dwight Golann, Giuffrè, 2010
• Rethinking Negotiating Teaching, edited with C. Honeyman and J. Coben, DRI Press, 2009
• Arbitration and Mediation in the Southern Mediterranean Countries, edited with Mary B. Trevor, Kluwer Law International, 2007
• Manuale del conciliatore professionista, with Leonardo D’Urso and Dwight Golann, Giuffrè, 2004
• La risoluzione alternativa delle controversie nelle corti federali degli Stati Uniti, with Guido Guidi, Giuffrè, 1999

Research studies (published as lead author)

• “A Ten-Year-Long ‘EU Mediation Paradox’ – When an EU Directive Needs To Be More … Directive,” European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, 2018
• “Achieving a Balanced Relationship Between Mediation and Judicial Proceedings,” European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, 2016
• “Mediation as Alternative Dispute Resolution: The Functioning of Directive 52/2008/EC,” European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, 2015
• “Rebooting the Mediation Directive: Assessing the Limited Impact of Its Implementation and Proposing Measures to Increase the Number of Mediations in the EU,” European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, 2014
• “Quantifying the Costs of Not Using Mediation – A Data Analysis,” European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, 2011

• “Not Enough of a Good Thing: Unleashing the Full Power of Mediation Globally”, Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution (2025)
• Mediating Mediation Itself: the Easy-opt-out Model Settles the Perennial Dispute Between Voluntary and Mandatory Mediation Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution (2021)

Background and Education

• Ombudsman, United Nations Funds and Programmes, 2015–2022
• International Professor of Alternative Dispute Resolution Law and Practice, Mitchell Hamline School of Law, 2002–2021
• Board member, JAMS International, 2011–2015
• Chairman, Board of Directors, ADR Center, 1998–2015
• Associate, Wilmer Hale, 1996–1997
• Junior Lieutenant, Guardia di Finanza (Italian tax police), 1992–1993
• Ombudsman Masterclass, International Ombudsman Association, 2016
• Advanced Mediation Seminar, JAMS, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2011
• Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, 1999, 2007, 2019
• LL.M., International Dispute Resolution, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 1995
• Certificate in International Trade Law, International Training Center of the ILO, Turin, Italy, 1994
• Master’s degree (equivalent), maxima cum laude, Political Sciences and Administration, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy, 1994
• J.D., maxima cum laude, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, 1991