FRANCIS H.V. BELLE

Senior Fellow – Barbados

Francis H. V. Belle is a High Court Judge, conflict analyst, and trained mediator. He chairs the court-connected mediation committee on the island of Saint Lucia (Eastern Caribbean).

About Francis H.V. Belle

Francis H. V. Belle is a High Court Judge, conflict analyst, and trained mediator. He chairs the court-connected mediation committee on the island of Saint Lucia (Eastern Caribbean), which is responsible for the management of the court-connected mediation program provided under the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court’s Civil Procedure Rules. He has held a similar position in Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis. He is presently the head of the Criminal Division of the High Court in Saint Lucia.

Justice Belle is committed to expanding the scope of mediation in Saint Lucia beyond its present use in high court cases. Toward that end, he has been instrumental in assisting mediators in Saint Lucia in forming the Mediators Forum. He also proposed and supported the 2017 Mediation Campaign, which was carried out by the High Court in Saint Lucia to mark the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Court.

The Mediators Forum advocates the use of mediation in the Saint Lucia community and seeks to establish mediation standards and train mediators for the future. The feedback from the 2017 Mediation Campaign revealed a deep interest in mediation throughout the Saint Lucian community, particularly in secondary schools.

Justice Belle has been a member of the legal profession for 32 years. He has been assigned to Saint Lucia since 2010 and was a judge of the Civil Division from 2010 to the end of 2016.

Mediation Practice

Justice Belle is a trained mediator, currently serving as the Chairman of the Court Connected-Mediation Committee. He is called upon, from time to time, to provide advice and input on the general mediation strategy for the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. He has served as Chairman of the Court-Connected Mediation Committees in Grenada (2005), St Kitts and Nevis (2005-2010) and Saint Lucia (2010 to present).

Since March 2018, Justice Belle has been assisting the Cooperative Choice Group of Dennery in Saint Lucia in their effort to begin a Mediation Programme for their members, as well as members of the broader community, in collaboration with the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (St Lucia) and The Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution.

ADR Achievements and Training

  • Fellow of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute
  • Weinstein JAMS International Fellowship (2014)
  • Trained as a mediator by the Stitt Feld Handy Group of Toronto Canada (2001)
  • MS Degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the School of Humanities at Nova South Eastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (2002)

ADR Teaching and Mentoring

  • Justice Belle has spoken at several conferences and training events, including: the World Mediation Conference in Madrid Spain in 2014, mediation training sessions in Saint Lucia, meetings of the Mediators Forum Saint Lucia, and the launching of the IMPACT Justice Programme in Barbados in December, 2015.
  • Participated in the 2017 Mediation Campaign in several televised discussions, a press conference of the Government Information Service, and a mediation Seminar, which included Jed Melnick and Simone Lelchuck of JAMS.
  • Provided the featured address at the June 28th Morning Workshop titled “Understanding Conflict,” sponsored by The Resolvers, a Saint Lucia based conflict organization, which provides Conflict Resolution training to the Saint Lucia community.

Publications and Education

Educational Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Arts from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados (1979)
  • Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus (2004)
  • MS Degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Nova South Eastern University (2002)

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