Make your decision. Be sure to notify the opposing party of your decision. All parties in a case MUST agree upon the mediator within ten days of the plaintiff's or plaintiff's attorney's receipt of the signed order. Once the mediator has been agreed upon, you have ten days to schedule the mediation session. The mediator will send a confirmation letter to everyone with a copy to the Office of Dispute Resolution.
Mediators range from a broad facilitative style to a narrow evaluative style.
This pre-mediation session is a good way to help everyone feel comfortable with the process and to identify areas where more information might need to be gathered to conduct a productive mediation. While this is not a standard feature with all mediation practices, it is definitely one consumers need to ask about. If there is one single important factor in mediation, it is communication. Do you, the client, feel comfortable with the style and demeanor of the mediator. It is important to note that each mediator determines what fee they will charge, when and how they will handle the payment of fees.