Act now for access to justice !

We urge the Lord Chancellor to introduce a dedicated Mediation Act in the next Parliament to ensure statutory mediation safeguards and powers for all civil, commercial, and family cases.

This would immediately reduce court delays and promote fair resolution of disputes, without the need for expensive court cases that unnecessarily drain the resources of both private individuals and taxpayer funds.

We would like to make mediation a mainstream dispute resolution mechanism of the United Kingdom.

Whilst the new Civil Procedure Rules (amended 2025) that encourage the use of mediation were a step in the right direction, a Mediation Act would give the courts more powers under UK Law to compel or encourage the use of mediation in many cases where currently equal access to justice is denied because of the threat of punitive court costs.

Such a Mediation Bill would require:

A >  A clear definition of Mediation and its principles.

M > Mandatory Mediation advice duties for lawyers.

C >  Court powers to compel or encourage mediation .

S >  Strong confidentiality rules and enforcement of settlements.

S >  Suspension of limitation periods during mediation.

I  >   Implementation of the Singapore Convention on Mediation.

Ordinary people must be afforded equal access to justice through the legal system. It cannot be right that people are denied justice just because they lack wealth.

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