Mediatee Tips
Determining if your dispute can be mediated

While most kinds of civil disputes can be mediated, certain nonviolent criminal cases (such as verbal harassment and destruction of property) and cases that aren't proper for court can be mediated. That is, interpersonal disputes between roommates, coworkers, and others which don't have any sort of legal remedy can be solved via mediation. For example, if two housemates are arguing over how to maintain the household and are unable to solve the problem themselves, then mediation is a valuable tool that can help the housemates solve the problem while maintaining their relationship.

The most common cases for mediation are civil disputes, including family conflicts. This includes disputes over custody and separation, property disputes, contract disputes, landlord-tenant problems, employee-employer conflicts, neighbor-neighbor conflicts, and many more.

When considering whether your case is right for mediation, ask yourself if any of these statements apply to you:

- The law cannot provide the remedy you want

- You want to end a problem, not a relationship

- Your dispute is no one else's business and you want to keep it that way

- You want to minimize costs

- You want to settle the dispute promptly

- You want to avoid establishing a legal precedent

- You are having difficulty initiating negotiations, or lack negotiating skills