This is one of the most common questions in the field of Mediation. When looking for alternatives to resolve a conflict, it is normal to consider all types of costs, both time and financial costs. A Mediation process is much cheaper than judicial means, but how much does it cost exactly?
Indeed, The cost of a mediation process is one of the fundamental elements to opt for this route. Now, it is important to highlight that there is no official scale of costs, since the final amount you will have to pay for the Mediation process depends on various factors (and the mediator you go to).
The first important thing to note is that You must distinguish between the amount of administration and management of the file (which is not usually very high) and the amount per session carried out. These two concepts should be reflected separately on your invoice, so that you can understand exactly what services you are paying for.
The second thing is that One of the great advantages of a Mediation process at an economic level is that you (or all the parties involved in the process) can control what the expenses are. When you decide to get involved in a lawsuit at the judicial level, it is likely that at the end of it you will find yourself with an exorbitant bill between the lawyer and the attorney and that you will also have to advance a provision of funds. On the other hand, as we have told you, in a Mediation process you are the one who controls the number of sessions, and therefore, the expense. If your intention is to reach an agreement as soon as possible, it is normal for the conflict to be resolved in a few sessions.
What factors influence the cost of a Mediation process?
- The number of sessions. This is the determining factor in establishing the price of a Mediation process. Prices per session usually range between €50 and €100, depending on the mediator and the type of conflict to be resolved.
- The scope of Mediation: family, commercial, school, etc..
- The amount that is being discussed. Sometimes if the amount being discussed is high, a cost is established for the amount (a percentage of the total) instead of a price per session. Although it may seem like an increase in costs, in sometimes long and tedious conflicts, it usually represents a significant saving of money, especially compared to the costs of a judicial process.
- The number of parties that will intervene.
- The way in which the Mediation process will be established: Sometimes the Mediation process is established online, this cost being lower than an in-person process.
To conclude and highlight the substantial savings in the cost of resolving a conflict through a Mediation process, It is important to highlight that litigation in the first instance usually has an average cost of €10,000 (data extracted according to a study based on World Bank data). On the other hand, the average cost in a Mediation process is approximately €2,500, reducing the costs of conflict resolution by more than 76%.
