How much does mediation cost, and who pays?

One of the obvious questions about mediation is how much it costs, and, in matters that are already contested, who will pay for it. This post gives figures for common costs, compares those costs to litigation, and explains who generally will be footing the bill.

First, of course, the total cost depends on how much time a matter is likely to take. Something like a divorce with kids and a house takes more time than a landlord/tenant buy-out mediation, and something massive, like a court-ordered mediation for a partition suit between businesses can take about the most time. However, it is possible to give a rough estimate for common cases.

For a one-shot landlord-tenant case or a divorce without kids or serious real property concerns, most of the time, we get things done within a half day or a full day of mediation, which, at the time of writing, is between $500 and $1000 total. This is a whole lot less than trying to handle the same cases through litigation, particularly if both sides are represented. We can’t guarantee that your particular matter will get finished within the time in a flat fee mediation, but it’s fairly common, and a great value when it works out.

For a divorce with children, we find it’s pretty common to have multiple sessions, but even three full day sessions is only $3000, which is about the minimum that you could pay a family law attorney to get started on a divorce. Prices go up from there, but that’s a good benchmark for how much cheaper mediation can be.

Who pays is also a good question. Briefly, usually, for a landlord/tenant issue, it’s most common for the landlord to pay. For a divorce, or a business dispute, both parties normally split the cost, unless there’s a huge discrepancy in available funds between the parties. For neighbor disputes, as you would think, most of the time both parties (or all parties) split the cost.

Broadly, where mediation is likely to work, it’s a huge cost savings. Most of the time lawyers won’t get started for less than our total cost, and I think we do a great job of helping potential clients figure out when and where to mediate. If you have a dispute, or a case in progress and you’re worried about cost, contact us for a free consult today.