Types of Mediation: Choosing the Right Path for You
Not every conflict is the same, and neither is every mediation. Mediation has evolved into specialist branches designed to handle everything from sensitive family breakdowns to high-stakes corporate disputes.
We ensure we find you a mediator with the right expertise for your specific situation.
We help with:
Family • Workplace • Commercial • Probate • Property • Community
The Main Types of Mediation
For more information on each type, click on the relevant title:
FAMILY MEDIATION
Resolve family disputes with compassion and expertise
Family mediation helps separated couples and families resolve disputes about children, finances, and property without going to court. Our accredited family mediators create a safe, neutral space where both parties can communicate effectively.
Whether you're dealing with child arrangements, divorce settlements, or disputes about the family home, mediation offers a faster, cheaper, and less adversarial alternative to court proceedings.
We work with Legal Aid funded clients and those eligible for the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, meaning many families pay nothing at all for the service.
The quickest way to know is to complete our free eligibility check.
What Is Covered?
- Child arrangements and parenting plans
- Child-Inclusive mediation
- Financial settlements and asset division
- Property disputes including the family home
- Divorce and separation agreements
- Grandparent contact arrangements
- MIAM (Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings)
- MIAM Certificates
Who This Is For?
Separated couples, divorcing spouses, co-parents, and families in dispute.
What Is Covered?
- Employee-manager conflicts and grievances
- Team disputes and interpersonal conflicts
- Bullying and harassment allegations
- Discrimination and equality issues
- Redundancy and restructuring disputes
- Return-to-work mediation
Who This Is For?
Employers, HR departments, employees, and trade unions.
Workplace Mediation
Restore harmony and productivity in your organisation.
Workplace mediation addresses conflicts between employees, managers, and teams before they escalate into formal grievances, tribunal claims, or resignations. Early intervention saves organisations significant time, money, and reputational damage.
Our workplace mediators are experienced in employment law and organisational dynamics. They help parties understand each other's perspectives and find practical solutions that allow working relationships to continue.
Workplace mediation is typically faster and more cost-effective than formal HR processes or employment tribunal proceedings.
Commercial Mediation
Protect business relationships while resolving disputes
Commercial mediation resolves business disputes quickly and confidentially, preserving valuable commercial relationships that litigation would destroy. Our commercial mediators have backgrounds in law, business, and finance.
From contract disputes to partnership disagreements, commercial mediation typically resolves matters in a single day — compared to years of litigation. Settlements reached are legally binding and enforceable.
Courts increasingly expect parties to have attempted mediation before issuing commercial proceedings. Failure to engage can result in adverse cost orders.
What Is Covered?
- Contract and supply chain disputes
- Partnership and shareholder disagreements
- Intellectual property disputes
- Insurance and liability claims
- Construction and engineering disputes
- Professional negligence claims
Who This Is For?
Businesses, directors, shareholders, contractors, and professional service firms.
What Is Covered?
- Will Contests: Disputes regarding the validity of a will or "undue influence" claims.
- Executor Disputes: Conflicts between executors or disagreements over how an estate is being administered.
- Asset Distribution: Disagreements over the division of property, sentimental items, or business interests.
- Trust Litigation: Issues involving the management or termination of family trusts.
- Dependant Claims: Claims for "reasonable financial provision" by family members or partners.
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty: Addressing concerns regarding the mismanagement of estate funds.
Who This Is For?
Beneficiaries, executors, trustees, estranged family members, and legal professionals seeking an amicable resolution.
Probate Mediation
Preserve family bonds and protect your inheritance.
Probate mediation addresses disputes over wills, trusts, and estates before they escalate into bitter, multi-year court battles. Early intervention saves families from the devastating financial drain of litigation and the permanent fracturing of personal relationships during an already difficult time of grieving.
Our probate mediators are experts in inheritance law and the complex emotional dynamics of family succession. They provide a neutral space for beneficiaries and executors to move past resentment, clarify intentions, and reach practical distribution agreements that honour the deceased while respecting the living.
Probate mediation is significantly faster and more private than public court proceedings, ensuring that estate assets are preserved for the heirs rather than consumed by legal fees.
Property Mediation
Resolve property disputes swiftly and protect your investments.
Property mediation addresses conflicts involving land, boundaries, and real estate assets before they spiral into protracted litigation or costly Land Tribunal hearings. Early intervention prevents legal fees from outweighing the value of the dispute and stops neighbourly or professional disagreements from becoming permanent, hostile stalemates.
Our property mediators are specialists in land law, conveyancing nuances, and commercial property dynamics. They facilitate constructive dialogue between owners, tenants, and developers to reach binding agreements that provide legal certainty and allow projects or tenancies to move forward.
Property mediation is a flexible, confidential, and cost-effective alternative to the court system, often resolving in a single day what would take months to settle through traditional legal channels.
What Is Covered?
- Easements and Rights of Way: Disputes regarding access rights, shared driveways, or utility maintenance.
- Landlord and Tenant Issues: Disagreements over rent arrears, repairs, deposits, or eviction terms.
- Party Wall Disputes: Issues arising from construction or alterations to shared structures.
- Co-ownership Conflicts: Disagreements between joint owners (e.g., unmarried couples or business partners) regarding the sale or division of a property.
- Restrictive Covenants: Disputes over how land can be used or developed based on title deeds.
Who This Is For?
Homeowners, commercial landlords, residential tenants, property developers, and surveyors.
What Is Covered?
- Boundary and fence disputes
- Noise and nuisance complaints
- Right-of-way and access disputes
- Landlord and tenant conflicts
- Leasehold and service charge disputes
- Planning and development objections
Who This Is For?
Homeowners, landlords, tenants, neighbours, and property developers.
Community & Neighbour Mediation
Resolve community disputes without costly litigation
Community and neighbour disputes can be deeply stressful and affect your quality of life. Our mediators specialise in resolving boundary disputes, noise complaints, access rights, and landlord-tenant conflicts.
Mediation is particularly effective for neighbour disputes because it preserves the ongoing relationship — you'll still be living next to each other after the dispute is resolved.
Property mediation is significantly cheaper than court proceedings and can often be completed in a single session.
Technical Styles: How Mediation is Conducted
Beyond the subject of the dispute, mediators use different professional "models" to reach a resolution:
Facilitative Mediation
The mediator facilitates conversation but does not give their own opinion. They help the parties find their own creative solutions.
Evaluative Mediation
The mediator will usually point out the weaknesses in each side's case and "evaluate" what a judge would likely decide if the case went to court.
Transformative Mediation
The focus here is not just on a settlement, but on "transforming" the relationship so the parties can interact healthily in the future.
Online Mediation (Video Mediation)
Since 2020, video mediation has become the standard format for meetings. It is highly effective for parties who live far apart or do not feel comfortable being in the same physical room.
In-Person Mediation
Traditionally, the only method available for holding mediation discussions. As Covid forced many mediators into remote-only working, it is now only available in selected locations. Both parties must agree to attend in person.
Accredited Mediators
All our mediators are fully accredited, experienced, and carefully matched to your specific
dispute type and personal needs.
Click
here
to see our mediator bios.
Which Type of Mediation Do You Need? |
||
|
Dispute Type |
Best Mediation Choice |
Typical Goal |
|
Divorce / Children |
Family Mediation |
A “Parenting Plan” or "Memorandum of Understanding" |
|
Unpaid Invoices / Contracts |
Commercial Mediation |
A legally binding settlement |
|
Office Conflict |
Workplace Mediation |
A workable professional relationship |
|
Will Disagreement |
Probate Mediation |
A distribution agreement |
|
Landlord repairs issues |
Property Mediation |
A legally binding agreement |
|
Fence / Noise Dispute |
Community Mediation |
Restoring peace in the neighbourhood |
Ready to Get Started?
Check your funding eligibility or speak to our team today. Many clients pay nothing at all.