Mediation is a voluntary process that is often a cheaper and quicker way to resolve a dispute. It is a proven effective method for dealing with disputes sometimes without the need for having to go to court.
Mediation is a flexible process so it can be used to help settle disputes in a variety of situations. This can include family conflicts, financial issues or a business problem or any other matters where both sides are involved in some form of disagreement.
Mediation will only work however if all those involved are committed to finding and agreeing on a solution. Leading the mediation process is the mediator who is someone neutral. Their role is to help the parties involved to come up with a solution that they can all agree.
Being independent, what they are not there to do is to force a solution on anyone or to take sides. Their job is to get all parties both talking and listening to each other. The purpose of the mediation is to help all parties reach some form of agreement that they are all happy to accept.
If everyone involved agrees to mediation, then the whole process is private and confidential. Anything that they discuss stays within the mediation hearing unless all parties agree to make the information known to others.