As DRS marks 50 years, we are celebrating the people who have shaped our education programmes and supported the development of dispute resolvers across the built environment. Since DRS began delivering training, our tutors have played a central role in strengthening professional competence, building confidence in ADR processes, and supporting dispute resolution practices across industry.
As part of our DRS 50 celebrations, we are spotlighting the tutors who have given their time, expertise and support to help develop the next generation of arbitrators, adjudicators, mediators and party representatives.
Here, we hear from Matt Molloy, who reflects on how active engagement in hearings, evidence analysis and decision writing strengthens the practical learning he delivers for DRS, and how his contributions to training, assessment and programme development help enhance professional standards across the dispute resolution community.
What does your day to day work in dispute resolution involve, and how does that experience inform the teaching you deliver through DRS?
My day-to-day work involves managing cases from appointment through to decision. This includes handling procedural correspondence, conducting hearings and meetings, mediating, and carefully reviewing submissions, witness statements and expert reports. A significant part of the role is analysing evidence, applying the relevant legal and contractual principles, and drafting reasoned decisions and awards. This practical experience directly informs my teaching across adjudication, arbitration, mediation and expert determination modules delivered through DRS. Because I remain actively involved in a wide range of live disputes, I am able to bring real-world examples into the “classroom”, helping delegates understand not only the theory, but how dispute resolution operates in practice.
What does your work with DRS involve, and do you have any highlights from your work with DRS?
My work with DRS is wide-ranging as I deliver formal training courses covering adjudication, arbitration, expert determination and mediation, as well as bespoke programmes for organisations outside the RICS. I also deliver webinars to international audiences and contribute to maintaining professional standards through assessing and reassessing panel members, including chairing interview panels. A particular highlight has been my involvement in establishing the UK Adjudication Diploma. As adjudication has become increasingly complex, it became clear that more structured and comprehensive training was required. Helping develop that programme has been especially rewarding. Another personal milestone has been delivering the Decision Writing module to 31 cohorts, a role I am now preparing to step back from after many years of involvement.
In your view, what makes education around dispute resolution valuable for practitioners in today’s built environment landscape?
The modern built environment is characterised by complex projects, sophisticated contractual arrangements and increasing scrutiny of professional conduct. Practitioners therefore need more than technical expertise, and so they must understand how disputes arise, how they can be managed efficiently, and how to resolve them fairly and proportionately. Structured education provides practitioners with essential background knowledge and a fundamental understanding of the applicable law, procedural principles and practical guidance, as well as the confidence and competence to move into dispute resolution practice responsibly.
Can you share an example of how your work with DRS contributes to raising standards, improving practice, or supporting better outcomes in dispute resolution?
One of the most rewarding aspects of my work with DRS is seeing former delegates progress onto dispute resolver panels and develop successful practices and careers. Supporting practitioners through training, assessment and professional development helps raise overall standards across the industry. By emphasising sound procedure, clear reasoning and robust decision writing, DRS training contributes to more consistent and higher-quality outcomes. Ultimately, this benefits not only individual practitioners, but also parties to disputes, who gain confidence in the fairness and professionalism of the process.
Looking ahead, how do you see dispute resolution evolving?
As industries recognise the value of fast, specialist dispute resolution processes, I think adjudication in particular is likely to become more widely adopted. I therefore expect to see its continued expansion beyond traditional construction contracts into a wider range of commercial agreements such as technology and software development contracts, facilities management and outsourcing contracts, public sector procurement arrangements, professional consultancy agreements, and complex long-term service or supply contracts where maintaining cashflow and project continuity is commercially critical. With that growth will come increased expectations around competence, procedural fairness and quality decision making, reinforcing the importance of structured education and professional standards within the dispute resolution community.
Tutor spotlights like this are part of our wider DRS 50 programme, recognising the people who have helped strengthen standards, inspire confidence and support the growth of dispute resolution over the past five decades.
To explore more about DRS 50 and follow upcoming celebrations, visit DRS celebrates 50 years.