Dispute Resolution Services: A Smarter Way to Settle Conflict

Disagreements are part of life, be it a failed business deal, a neighbourly clash, a family inheritance row, or workplace fallout. For many, the default response has been to “lawyer up” and head to court. But anyone who’s taken that route knows it’s slow, costly, stressful and rarely gets a result you’re comfortable with.

That’s where mediation can make all the difference.

It’s much quicker, a fraction of the cost, much less stressful, confidential, and you remain in control of the outcome. What’s not to like?

The Frustration With The Courts 

Even small claims can be surprisingly frustrating. I’m currently dealing with a £1,500 breach of contract claim, and despite filing the claim via the Money Claims Online Service (MCOL), I’ve encountered one annoyance after another. Over six months after filing what is a very simple claim, a trial date has been set, but I know from experience it could easily be postponed at the last minute due to a lack of availability of a judge. To proceed with the trial, I’m required to pay a trial fee of £181 with the threat hanging over me that if I don’t pay by a deadline, my claim will be dismissed.  

However, there’s no online payment option, nor any clear instructions from the MCOL on where to send the payment. I called the MCOL to make payment over the telephone and waited for over 45 minutes before being told they can’t take payment over the telephone. So, I have had to write to the court and issue a personal cheque (if you can remember those). To do this, I ended up searching high and low for my cheque book, only to discover that the last cheque I wrote was in December 2015.

The complications don’t stop there. I now need to submit a court bundle, currently over 70 pages, at least 21 days before the hearing. While the MCOL correspondence told me to file it electronically via the “Digital Portal,” I know from previous experience that the court handling my claim doesn’t even use that system, and consequently, there’s no facility via MCOL to do this. So I’ll need to print and post the bundle in hard copy and prepare duplicates to take with me to court in case the original posted copies go missing, which is unfortunately far from unusual. 

What might seem like minor administrative tasks have been burdensome and this just adds more time to the 10 or so hours I’ve already spent pursuing this claim.  This is before I have to add on travel and attendance to the court for the trial (probably another half a day at best). Importantly, none of my time will be recoverable even if I have a win, and all this for £1,500.

If only the other party had been even the slightest bit reasonable and properly engaged in mediation, the entire saga could’ve been resolved months ago.

Why Dispute Resolution Services Like Mediation Work

In contrast, engaging in dispute resolution services like mediation offers a structured yet informal process where an impartial professional helps parties reach an agreement. In mediation, the entire process can be done in person or online, and any documents to be exchanged can be passed across electronically. There are no trial fees and little administration to worry about, and certainly no threat of cases being struck out. The whole process is so much easier, quicker, cheaper and more efficient.

At Mediator Locator, we connect people with expert lawyer-mediators across the UK, and our mediators combine conflict-resolution skills with expert legal knowledge, vital for resolving disputes effectively.

We cover a wide range of issues, from commercial and property disputes to employment and family matters, and much more. In a recent case we mediated, a workplace dispute was resolved amicably through mediation, preserving a valued employee relationship and avoiding reputational damage, something no judge could guarantee.

Mediation: Flexible, Confidential, and Highly Effective

Unlike court, mediation is adaptable, and sessions are scheduled to suit you, either online or in person. It’s confidential, avoiding public disclosure and reputational risk, and it works, with over 90% of disputes settling, often in a single session.

Using mediation has seen families mend over inheritance rows, businesses salvage key partnerships, and neighbours resolve long-running tensions, and crucially, choosing mediation doesn’t stop you from going to court if you have to, it just gives you a better chance of avoiding it.

Why Choose Mediator Locator

We don’t just assign any mediator, we match you with the right mediator as our lawyer-mediators understand your sector, speak your language, and focus on finding solutions fast.

Just fill out our short form outlining your dispute, and we’ll respond with a shortlist of expert mediators so you can choose who best fits your needs.

A Smarter Way Forward

In today’s fast-moving world, mediation isn’t a compromise, it’s the intelligent, human way to resolve conflict. If you’re facing a dispute, don’t wait for things to escalate. As well as avoiding court, at the very least it’ll also save you time searching for a cheque book!

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