ABSTRACT
Mediation is quick cheap and informal. The striking feature of the whole process is the high level of consumer satisfaction. Many mediations end with the parties shaking hands and going out together. The Central London County Court (CLCC) has run a pilot mediation scheme since 1996 - the first of its kind in this country - with the aim of providing a model for other courts to follow. It was put on a permanent footing in 1998. Since the beginning of the CLCC scheme about two hundred cases have been mediated, most of which ended in a settlement at the end of the three-hour mediation appointment. CLCC offers its mediation service to people whose claims are valued the small claims limit. Most people tried the CLCC mediation scheme because they hoped to settle their dispute more quickly and cheaply than by going to trial.
