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.

Verzoeken van psychiatrische patiënten om hulp bij zelfdoding moeten behoedzaam worden beoordeeld, maar inwilliging ervan past binnen de geldende regels. Na jarenlange terughoudendheid neemt de bereidheid onder psychiaters om verzoeken om hulp bij zelfdoding van psychiatrische patiënten serieus te nemen toe. Sommige juristen bepleiten een aanpassing van de toetsingsprocedure in deze gevallen. Daarvoor is echter geen reden.

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.