Remember the kind of mediation that used to happen from time to time. With stale coffee, dry biscuits, sandwiches that had been out since breakfast and overheated breakout rooms where everyone was a little too tense. Messages passed between rooms, long silences, and that unmistakable late-afternoon fatigue. It usually worked. Mediation nearly always does. But it wasn’t always particularly comfortable.

Then the world changed. Overnight, mediators and parties alike found themselves logging into Zoom and Teams instead of gathering around a conference table. What began as an emergency workaround soon revealed something surprising, online mediation didn’t just function, it flourished.

I’ve seen that transformation first-hand. What started as a stopgap has become a defining shift in how people resolve disputes. Online mediation isn’t a poor substitute. For many, it’s now the preferred option. Calmer, convenient, and far less intimidating.

I once mediated a major works property dispute with thirty tenants on one side and three housing association representatives on the other. In person, that could have been a logistical nightmare. A sea of paper cups, insufficient chairs, and someone always disappearing just at the wrong moment. Online, it worked beautifully. Everyone joined from home, a lead tenant acted as spokesperson, every voice was heard. It was inclusive, efficient, and even, dare I say it, enjoyable.

At one point, a tenant appeared on screen happily puffing on a joint. In person, that might have been awkward. Online, it simply made me chuckle and reminded me that mediation is about people, not process, and sometimes being in your own space helps you be your most authentic self.

Online mediation has also opened the door to people who might otherwise have struggled to take part. It can work brilliantly for those who are neurodiverse, disabled, elderly, or juggling work and caring responsibilities. It has made mediation genuinely accessible, not just geographically but emotionally, and for those who can’t bear to be in the same room as the other party, whether separated spouses, feuding relatives, or business partners who have fallen out, it can provide enough distance to make dialogue more likely to flourish.

That said, in-person mediation still has its place. When relationships need rebuilding or trust needs repairing, being in the same space can make all the difference. You can sense when someone is ready to move, when frustration turns to understanding, or when an apology is about to surface. Those small human cues, a pause, a look of understanding, a furtive glance, can’t always be captured through a screen.

The great strength of mediation today is its adaptability. It no longer has to fit a fixed format. Some disputes benefit from the ease and privacy of online meetings, others call for the connection and nuance of face-to-face conversation.  

Many people are now so confident with technology that new tools have become part of the landscape. At Mediator Locator, we’ve recently introduced Blind Bidding, a secure and confidential way for parties to settle financial disputes online. This innovation has been made possible by the same comfort with digital platforms that helped mediation thrive during the pandemic.

What matters most is choice and shaping a process that fits the people and the problem, not the other way round.

So no, mediation hasn’t lost its humanity. It has simply evolved. The same values of empathy, communication, and understanding remain at its heart. We just have more ways to make those values work in practice.

That said, despite the many advantages of online mediation, in-person sessions often remain the preference for many, as there’s something about being in the room that changes the dynamic. People are often more invested when they’ve made the effort to attend. They may engage more deeply, listen more carefully, and sense the subtle shifts that help move things forward. Sometimes, resolution needs that shared energy, the human connection that only happens face to face.

So, if you ever find yourself attending an in-person session organised by Mediator Locator, rest assured, as we partner with quality law firms nationwide, the coffee will be fresh, the biscuits edible, and the sandwiches definitely not the ones that have been out since breakfast.

Whichever way you prefer to mediate, just make sure it’s your first choice for resolution. The advantages are real, the outcomes better, and the process is far more human than people imagine.

So come on the journey with us and join the Resolution Revolution.

Written by Stuart Lawrence, Founder of Mediator Locator - a nationwide network of lawyer-mediators offering in-person, online, and hybrid mediations, including innovative tools (such as Blind Bidding) to make settlement simpler, more accessible and smarter for all. Visit: www.mediatorlocator.com
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