Venues

Mediation venues

At present, we continue to recommend video conference mediation on pure mediation grounds, quite apart from the fact that Coronavirus cases remain high, andMediation is a high risk activity in terms of the transmission of the virus (there's not much else you could do that involves spending eight to ten hours indoors, unmasked, in face-to-face conversation with people from another household).

If however your preference is for a face-to-face mediation, you'll need to agree a venue with the other side. It's usual to share the cost between the parties. We ask that you book the venue that you've agreed direct, please, and let us know where the mediation is to be held.

We'll need at least three rooms, please, one for each party, and one for joint sessions, which can also be used as a base by the mediator. For each additional party, we'll need an extra room. It shouldn't be possible for a party in one room to overhear, or see, what's being said or done in another room. There will need to be wi-fi, and printing facilities so that we can print any settlement. And we'll need access to tea, coffee, and carbohydrates throughout the day!

Sometimes one party's solicitor or barrister offers facilities free of charge. It's natural for the other side to feel that perhaps they'd prefer a "neutral venue". That's understandable, but, on the whole, if one side is able to offer suitable protocol compliant premises at no cost, it may make sense to accept the offer.

We normally aim to start mediations at 10.00am or 10.30am and carry on as long as it takes.

Here is a list of venues below that we have used in the past: