International risk team: Mediating in a time of social distancing

The new, and arguably more relaxed, government guidance notwithstanding, it seems inevitable that the COVID-19 crisis will leave people more cautious about face-to-face meetings. Nonetheless, disputes will continue, and so must efforts to resolve them.

Not being able to meet physically does not necessarily need to hamper alternative dispute resolution: mediating by Zoom or similar platforms may not be that new but the current climate has brought it into sharp focus as a viable and effective means of bringing cases to a successful conclusion.

The process has some advantages and disadvantages over a conventional mediation. The purpose of this piece is to summarise some of these and to give some pointers for consideration in preparing for and attending a virtual mediation.