Join our Annual Mediation Conference in Manchester! Register for Free >
Annual Conference: Mediation in Practice
Thu 26 Nov
|Brabners Offices, Manchester
Mediator Locator is bringing together mediators, lawyers, clients and mediation users for an afternoon of practical discussion about how we can get more from mediation. Not another conference about why mediation matters. This one is about making mediation work better in practice.
Time & Location
26 Nov 2026, 13:30 – 17:00
Brabners Offices, Manchester, 100 Barbirolli Square, Manchester M2 3BD, UK
About the event
1.30pm arrival | 2.00pm–5.00pm | Drinks & networking afterwards
Mediation is playing an increasingly important role in dispute resolution – but when should it be used, what do clients really want from the process, and what actually makes a mediation successful?
Join us for an afternoon of practical discussion bringing together perspectives from the judiciary, clients, lawyers and experienced mediators.
With guest speaker HHJ Richard Pearce, Acting Designated Civil Judge for Greater Manchester, together with experienced mediators, lawyers and those who actually use mediation.
Attendance is free, but registration is required
Agenda
2.10pm – Mediation and the Courts: What Clients and Their Advisers Need to Know
Our keynote session looks at the increasing importance of mediation within the civil justice system, the Court's approach to ADR and what this means in practice for parties and their advisers.
2.35pm – What Do Clients Actually Want from Mediation?
A client-led discussion exploring why and when clients mediate, what can prevent them from doing so, what they look for when choosing a mediator and what makes mediation effective from their perspective.
3.15pm – Refreshments & Networking
3.35pm – When Is the Right Time to Mediate?
Can you mediate too early or too late? Should parties wait until proceedings have been issued? What are the commercial consequences of waiting - and how can clients and their advisers identify the right opportunity to mediate?
4.15pm – Getting the Best from Mediation: What Makes the Difference?
A practical discussion covering choosing the right mediator, preparation, getting the right people in the room, the role of advisers, managing expectations and the things that can make, or derail, a successful mediation.
4.50pm – Closing Remarks
5.00pm onwards – Drinks & Networking
Who should attend?
The conference is designed for lawyers, mediators, in-house legal teams, business leaders and anyone who advises clients involved in disputes.
Whether you regularly use mediation or want to understand how to use it more effectively, the afternoon will focus on practical experience rather than theory.