How much does mediation cost?

My hourly rate is $200.00 plus GST with a minimum of a four hour booking.  This includes one hour of preparation and pre-conferencing and three hours of mediation.  See Terms of Engagement for full details.

Parties must either provide their own suitable venue or will share the cost of meeting room hire (approximately $60.00 per day per party including GST).

The cost of the mediation is usually shared by the parties (with the exception of employment disputes where the costs are usually covered by the employer).  The required length of a mediation depends on the nature of the dispute and the  co-operation and determination of the parties seeking resolution.  Anecdotal evidence indicates that most resolvable disputes are completed within one day. 

For a half day mediation each party is looking at $400.00 plus GST in fees and possibly $60.00 plus GST for room hire where required making a total of $460.00 excluding GST.

When compared to the price of litigation, the question is can you afford not to mediate?

Average cost of a two day hearing:

• Civil litigation (contractual/commercial disputes) $20,000 plus (per party) plus filing fees;

• Relationship Property Disputes $15,000 plus (per party);

• Employment dispute $7,000 plus (per party) to the first level of the Employment Relations Authority.

Although costs are often awarded to the 'winning' party, they are usually

capped and are a fraction of the actual cost of the litigation.

When is mediation appropriate?

Mediation is appropriate for virtually all commercial and domestic disputes provided that:

• Both parties recognise that there is a problem that requires resolution

• Both parties are willing to mediate

• Both parties see the potential value, both financial and emotional, of settling the dispute out of court.

When is mediation inappropriate?

Mediation is inadvisable where a domestic relationship has had ongoing domestic violence or physical and/or verbal intimidation.

Who attends the mediation?

Each party should bring one support person.  This can be a friend, a family member or a professional advocate such as a lawyer.  Both parties should seek agreement prior to the mediation regarding the choice of support person and whether support people will have speaking rights during the mediation.

It is not appropriate for children to be brought to a mediation and reliable child care arrangements should be set in place prior to the mediation.

Is mediation legally binding?

Although the mediation process is voluntary, the agreement that results is signed before the parties leave the mediation.  Once signed, the Agreement is a legally binding document.