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Welcome To Cumbria Mediation Solutions

Coronavirus Update - We are committed to continuing to help resolve disputes. To find out about face to face mediations restarting click here 

Experts in Alternative Dispute Resolution

Cumbria Mediation Solutions is a specialist mediation provider, matching highly-qualified and experienced mediators with a range of commercial clients and individuals throughout the UK.

Located in Cumbria, our team of five mediators are all very familiar with the local area, its professions and businesses. 

Lateral thinkers, we strive for commercial settlements on all types of disputes, from the straightforward to more complex cases for individuals, businesses and solicitors. 

Why go to Court when mediation can instantly save time, money and the ongoing pressures of dispute?
 

Over 25 years

Experience in mediation

100%

Personal Service

5

Local expert mediators

Over 90%

Disputes settled

News


by Victoria Greenwood 01 Feb, 2021
1. Choose your mediator • Try and find a mediator who has experience in your type of dispute. Whilst in theory a mediator can mediate any type of dispute, if the matter is technical, we find it helps to have a mediator who understands the issues. • Experience – all of our mediators have over 10 year’s experience (some over 20!). Make sure you have a safe pair of hands with the experience to get your dispute settled. • Obtain the other side’s agreement to the mediator, be honest with your reasons and hopefully they will agree! 2. Pick a date • Mediations can be arranged at short notice (even shorter if it is a virtual mediation) • Let the mediator know the days you can’t do and they will liaise with the other party and provide you with a shortlist of suitable dates. 3. Sign the agreement to mediate • You will receive a draft copy of the agreement. It contains everyone’s details and sets out the legalities of the mediation – such as its confidential nature. • Make sure you sign this in advance of the mediation so that everything can proceed on the day – we like to use DocuSign. 4. Brief the mediator • You will be asked to prepare a Position Statement. As you may have guessed this sets out your position and how you ideally see the matter being resolved. • You will also need to provide the mediator with a bundle of documents that support your case (if appropriate). Sometimes the bundle will be agreed with the other side. 5. Exchange statements • Parties have the option of exchanging their position statement with the other side before the mediation. This helps the parties know exactly where the other is coming from. • This is entirely optional, and it is common for the position statements to remain confidential to the mediator – this is useful where you may feel your case is not that strong. 6. The Mediation • The parties will be in separate room – virtual or actual, the choice is yours. • The mediator will shuttle between the parties, discussing their case, its strength and weaknesses and finding common ground upon which the parties can build a settlement. • Any settlement will be in writing and signed by the parties.
by Victoria Greenwood 25 Jan, 2021
Claimants now have an alternative to the long drawn out, often incredibly stressful, court proceedings. Mediation offers the Claimants the opportunity to reach a settlement, which they can live with. It is a very healing process – the Claimant is in control of what they accept, not a Judge, and not their legal representative. Unlike in a Joint Settlement Meeting (JSM) the parties are included at every step – it isn’t just left to the solicitors or barristers to do the negations on their client’s behalf. In mediation the process is the client’s. Mediation also offers creativity – the settlement doesn’t need to be purely financial. Instead, mediation gives the Defendant the opportunity to apologise for what happened – something which could never be ordered by a Judge. A court room can appear a cold and daunting place for a Claimant, by using mediation in personal injury and clinical negligence cases you can avoid the need for such formality. The entire process can be moulded to suit the Claimant, to make them as comfortable as possible. There are also the added benefits of cost, speed and flexibility. By removing the need for a full trial, the Claimant will reduce their legal costs significantly. They can decide which mediator appeals to them, and what price range they are willing to pay for their services. Personal Injury mediation also radically reduces the time to settlement. The Court system is already overloaded, and the pandemic has only served to worsen the situation. A mediation can be fixed up within a matter of weeks, with the case being resolved (all going well!) within 8 hours. There will always be resistance to new methods, and the JSM remains popular, but with all the benefits mediation has to offer surely it can only be set to increase?
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