What mediation actually costs, and when it is worth it

Mediation in a business dispute is usually ordered by the court before trial, but the useful question is when to go voluntarily. Our rule: as soon as both sides have the documents that decide the case, and before depositions multiply the cost.

The mediator’s fee is shared. Your side pays for a day of our time and the preparation before it. Against a trial that runs a week, the arithmetic is not close.

It does not work when one side has not yet felt any risk. Sometimes a motion has to be won first.