Making Mediation More Accessible: The CMC Fixed Fee Scheme

By Nick Cheshire, CMC Registered Mediator

At Harbour Mediation, we believe that mediation should be a practical and proportionate option for businesses and individuals seeking to resolve civil and commercial disputes. We are therefore pleased to participate in the Civil Mediation Council (CMC) Fixed Fee Scheme, which provides access to mediation at predetermined fees for qualifying disputes with a value of up to £50,000.

What is the CMC Fixed Fee Scheme?

The scheme is designed to make mediation more accessible and proportionate for smaller-value disputes. Rather than the potentially uncertain costs associated with lengthy litigation, the scheme provides a defined mediation fee for each party according to the value of the dispute and the length of the mediation.

The current scheme provides fixed fees ranging from £75 plus VAT per party for a one-hour telephone/video mediation involving a dispute of £5,000 or less, through to £445 plus VAT per party for a four-hour mediation involving a dispute between £15,000 and £50,000. Additional hours are also available at an hourly rate. The scheme can therefore provide businesses with a clearer and more proportionate route to attempting settlement before a dispute becomes more costly and time-consuming.

Why has Harbour Mediation joined?

At Harbour Mediation, we recognise that the cost of resolving a dispute needs to be proportionate to the dispute itself. A relatively modest commercial disagreement can nevertheless consume significant management time, professional fees and resources if it progresses through formal litigation. The Fixed Fee Scheme provides another option: a structured mediation process, delivered by a CMC Registered Mediator, with greater certainty about the mediation cost from the outset.

For businesses in particular, this can mean addressing a dispute efficiently while allowing the people involved to remain in control of the outcome rather than leaving the final decision to a court.

“I joined the CMC Fixed Fee Scheme because I believe access to an experienced mediator should not be limited by the size of a dispute. For many businesses, a proportionate and cost-effective opportunity to resolve a dispute early can make a significant difference. The scheme provides another practical route to resolution, with the core benefits of mediation: confidentiality, flexibility and the opportunity for the parties themselves to create a solution.”

Nick Cheshire MSoM, Lead Mediator, Harbour Mediation

The Fixed Fee Scheme does not seek to replace longer or more complex commercial mediations. Some disputes require substantially more time, preparation or specialist consideration and Harbour Mediation continues to offer mediation tailored to the circumstances of each case. Instead, the scheme provides an additional fair, accessible and cost-effective option for appropriate civil and commercial disputes.

About the author

Nick Cheshire is an experienced civil, commercial and workplace mediator. A Registered Civil Mediation Council mediator and a qualified International Mediation Institute mediator providing mediation services throughout the UK and internationally.

If you are involved in or advising on a dispute and would like to discuss, in confidence, the suitability and timing of mediation as an option going forward, please contact Nick Cheshire at nick.cheshire@harbour-mediation.com.