How to make co-mediation to a success. About managing expectations, securing confidentiality and clarifying the role of the mediator and co-mediator to everybody involved. Many very good examples of co-mediation can be found in neighbourhood mediation, cross border mediation in child obduction cases, mediation in local government and in a normal, general mediation office.
Reasons to choose for co-mediation are:

• four eyes see more than two;

• you can give each other feedback;

• a starting mediator can gain experience without any risk for the client;

• when emotions get high, parties can be split up.

• lower revenues for the mediator;

• problems with planning.

In his column ‘Versterking alternatieve geschilbeslechting in consumentenzaken door richtlijn ADR en verordening ODR’ Koos Nijgh, head of the legal department of the ‘Stichting Geschillencommissies voor Consumentenzaken (SGC)’ gives an overview of how the SGC should anticipate the recent European legislative developments regarding ADR. After a brief summary on how the SGC functions, he analyses the European legislative demands and the policy the SGC has adopted. The author concludes that the impact of the new legislation is overseeable and that the SGC will do even better in the future.