Maintain professional separation.
Identify relationships, interests and circumstances that could materially affect or reasonably call independence into question.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
Independent.
Impartial.
Competent.
Disclosed.
Within mandate.
BEFORE ACCEPTANCE
DISCLOSE
DURING MANDATE
STAY WITHIN ROLE
INFORMATION
PROTECT
PUBLIC PROFILE
REPRESENT ACCURATELY
AFTER CLOSURE
KEEP OBLIGATIONS
Professional conduct is continuous. It does not begin and end with the certification decision.
THE INSTITUTION / PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
Professional standing should remain worthy of trust after the certificate has been issued.
Professional Conduct is the continuing institutional expectation attached to recognised Neutral Practice. It connects independence, impartiality, conflicts disclosure, competence, confidentiality, mandate discipline, procedural fairness, accurate public representation, technology use and professional behaviour. The standard should be applied in light of the Neutral role, governing framework and applicable law rather than as a substitute for matter-specific duties.
THE CONDUCT FRAMEWORK
Good conduct is not one abstract promise to "be neutral". It is a series of professional controls.
Approach the mandate without favour.
Procedural choices, communication and evaluation should not give one participant an undisclosed or unjustified advantage.
Disclose early and continue disclosing.
Material circumstances can arise after appointment. Continuing disclosure is part of live professional practice.
Accept work the professional can perform properly.
Role competence, subject context, jurisdiction, language, time and complexity all matter to professional acceptance.
Do the job that was actually entrusted.
The Neutral should not widen authority because participants begin to rely heavily on the professional.
Handle information according to role and framework.
Confidentiality, privacy, privilege, data security and permitted disclosure depend on the mandate and governing context.
Use a process appropriate to the function.
Notice, participation, opportunity to respond and procedural discipline vary across mediation, evaluation, determination, review and other roles.
Describe standing and experience accurately.
Credentials, institutional affiliations, sector claims and case experience should not be overstated or allowed to become stale.
Keep human professional responsibility visible.
AI and digital tools should not silently compromise confidentiality, authorship, judgement, bias controls or participant expectations.
CONDUCT FOLLOWS THE ROLE
A mediator, evaluator, chair, ombuds practitioner and expert determiner may face different procedural duties even when the same core professional values apply.
Professional Conduct should therefore be read together with the relevant Practice Standard, mandate, engagement terms and applicable governing framework.
CONDUCT ACROSS THE MANDATE
The professional controls change as the work progresses.
01
Before acceptanceAssess competence, availability, conflicts, role clarity and any circumstances requiring disclosure.
02
At appointmentConfirm mandate, authority, terms, fees, information expectations and the process for continuing disclosure.
03
During processMaintain impartiality, appropriate participation, information controls and professional boundaries.
04
If the mandate changesDo not rely on informal assumption. Clarify new authority, consent, conflicts and professional competence.
05
At outputMake sure the professional product matches the role and does not claim authority the Neutral did not possess.
06
After closureContinue applicable confidentiality, records, public representation and cooperation with legitimate institutional review.
CONDUCT SITUATIONS
Professional judgement becomes visible when the easy rule does not answer the whole problem.
A Neutral has worked repeatedly for one participant.
The professional should assess whether the relationship requires disclosure, whether the governing framework has specific rules and whether a reasonable participant needs the information to assess independence. Disclosure is not necessarily automatic disqualification, but silence can damage trust.
Parties begin asking the mediator to provide a valuation opinion.
The professional should not slide from mediation into evaluation merely because trust has developed. A different role may require fresh consent, competence assessment, conflict analysis and a revised mandate.
A participant shares sensitive information whose treatment is unclear.
The Neutral should apply the confidentiality framework of the role and mandate, clarify ambiguity where possible and avoid promising absolute secrecy where law, safety, institutional rules or another defined exception may apply.
A professional wants to describe a confidential matter as experience.
Public representation should respect confidentiality and accuracy. Generic experience claims should not allow readers to infer client identity, outcome or institutional endorsement that was never authorised.
PROFESSIONAL SELF-CHECK
Before, during and after a mandate, a Neutral should be able to answer these questions.
ROLE
What exactly am I being trusted to do?
AUTHORITY
What may I decide, recommend, facilitate or not do?
CONFLICTS
Is there anything participants should know now?
COMPETENCE
Do I have the time, role capability and relevant context to do this properly?
INFORMATION
What may I receive, use, retain and disclose?
PUBLIC RECORD
Am I describing my credential, experience and institutional relationship accurately?
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT SHOULD
Guide everyday professional judgement before a complaint ever exists.
The strongest conduct system prevents avoidable problems through clarity, disclosure and professional boundaries.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT SHOULD NOT
Become vague morality, retrospective rule-making or a substitute for the specific law and procedure governing a matter.
Accountability should be based on identifiable standards and fair process.
PROFESSIONAL DISCOVERY
Current public professional records
Only currently published professional records are shown.
PUBLIC PROFESSIONAL RECORD / Washington, United States
Stephen McCarron
Arbitrator & Mediator
mediationarbitrationBanking and FinanceMaritime
Published record: Since 1982, Steve has concentrated full-time representing produce companies in PACA cases in all segments of the produce industry, including growers, shippers, brokers, terminal market receivers, retailers, exporters and importers…
PUBLIC PROFESSIONAL RECORD / Paris, France
Florian Endros
Arbitrator & Mediator
mediationarbitrationReal Estate and Property DisputesConstructionEngineering and Infrastructure Disputes
Published record: Dr. Endrös practised in in an international commercial law firm for several years. He was the founding partner and practised especially in industrial risk, before he founded the new firm…
PUBLIC PROFESSIONAL RECORD / Geneva, Switzerland
Dr. Matthew Parish
Arbitrator & Mediator
mediationarbitrationBanking and FinanceEducationHealthcare Disputes Practice Group
Published record: Dr Matthew Parish is the Managing Partner of Gentium Law Group. Dr Matthew Parish is a lawyer and scholar of international relations, ethnic conflict and civil war, and a former…
PUBLIC PROFESSIONAL RECORD / Ampang, Malaysia
Karen Navamani Abraham
Arbitrator & Mediator
Published record: Co Chair of the Emerging IP Rights committee of the Asian Patents Attorneys Association Of Malaysia (APAA) INTA Asia-Pacific Moot Competition Project Team (INTA) INTA Asia Pacific Global Advisory Council…
CONDUCT ROUTES
Move from general conduct into the standard or process that answers the exact question.
DISCLOSE
Professional independence becomes easier to trust when material circumstances are surfaced early.
PRACTISE
Conduct is visible in the choices made during ordinary professional work.
RECORD
Mandate, disclosure and public standing should remain capable of later verification.
INSTITUTIONAL DEPTH
Professional conduct should be understood as a continuing judgement system, not a list of slogans attached to the credential.
The common expectations become meaningful when practitioners can apply them across different Neutral roles and difficult live situations.
INDEPENDENCE
Remain independently minded
The professional should remain capable of judgement not controlled by an appointing party, institution, payer or repeat relationship.
DISCLOSURE
Make relevant relationships visible
Conflicts analysis and continuing disclosure should respond to actual relationships and changing circumstances.
COMPETENCE
Accept the right work
Standing does not mean every role, sector or jurisdiction is within the practitioner's competence.
MANDATE
Stay within authority
The Neutral should perform the defined professional function without becoming adviser, manager, investigator, director or another authority by drift.
REPRESENTATION
Describe standing accurately
Credentials, roles, affiliations and professional experience should be represented without exaggeration or implied institutional endorsement.
INSTITUTIONAL DEPTH
The same conduct principles can apply across the profession while the practical risks differ by role.
A mediator, evaluator, Standing Neutral, chair and Ombuds professional may face different process questions under one common professional framework.
INSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE
Common standards. Role-specific judgement.
Professional conduct should remain stable enough to build trust and flexible enough to apply intelligently to different Neutral functions.
A mediator may need to think carefully about private communications and participant expectations. An evaluator may need to define the record and distinguish independent assessment from decision authority. A Standing Neutral must manage continuing familiarity and repeat contact over time.
A Neutral Chair can exercise strong procedural authority while remaining outside the substantive vote. An Ombuds professional may need to state confidentiality limits and formal-process interfaces carefully. Expert Determination can require specialist competence beyond general Neutral skill.
These differences do not require separate ethical identities for every practice. Independence, conflicts, competence, mandate discipline, information care and accurate public representation can remain common foundations.
Acceptance is the first conduct decision. The professional should understand the role, authority, sector context, jurisdiction issues, available time and any specialist limits before saying yes.
Conflicts are not completed by one form. New parties, advisers, funders, affiliates, experts or institutional roles may change the relationship map later. Continuing disclosure is part of professional life.
Mandate drift is often subtle. A respected Neutral may be asked for legal advice, management recommendations, investigative conclusions or governance decisions because participants trust the person. Conduct requires recognising when a new professional role is being requested.
Information care should fit the actual framework. Confidentiality may be strong in one process and limited by regulatory, safeguarding, public or contractual duties in another. Absolute language should not be used where the professional cannot support it.
Public representation matters because users rely on institutional standing. A practitioner should not imply that certification equals appointment by TheNeutrals.ORG, that an ecosystem affiliation creates guaranteed referrals or that a sector tag proves specialist expertise beyond the published evidence.
Fees should not compromise professional judgement. Payment arrangements can be transparent and commercially workable while leaving the professional able to deliver an unwelcome view or withdraw when required.
Closure also carries obligations. Records, confidentiality, future roles, unpaid administrative matters and continuing disclosure may survive the final meeting or output.
Professional Conduct should connect into development. Recurring mistakes or uncertainty may call for CPD or Practice Notes before they become complaints. The institution should use conduct architecture to strengthen judgement, not only to punish failures.
When serious concerns arise, Complaints & Discipline provides the appropriate procedural route. Conduct standards define expectations; the complaints process determines whether a particular concern falls within the institution's remit and what response is justified.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT PRINCIPLE
Trust is built before appointment, tested during the mandate and preserved by what the professional does afterwards.
Professional standing should remain a continuing responsibility.