Some matters resolve quickly, and other matters take more time for the parties to reach agreement. Having said that, it is fairly common for parties to find agreement within 3-4 hours. The benefit of the fixed fee (noting that a full day mediation with Dean Bainbridge costs $935 per party) is that you know ahead of time how much everything will cost. You do not need to worry about going overtime and being penalised with additional charges.

The full day mediation includes a confidential intake assessment for each party (usually 30 minutes per party), plus mediation time itself. Mediations typically start at 10am and can continue until 4.00pm, although there will be flexibility with start and finish times in order to accommodate the preferences of the mediation participants.

Each mediation involves different issues (some issues are more complex than others), and parties come to mediation with different personality types (some people are more flexible and are more willing to compromise, compared to others). Having said that, many matters can be resolved within the first 3-4 hours of mediation. If matters are more complex (such as a family law dispute that involves both parenting and property), then even a full day of mediation may not be sufficient. It is not uncommon for parties to require two separate mediation events (for example: two days, perhaps separated by a few weeks between them) in order to resolve their matter on a final basis.

It is sometimes the case that parties are able to resolve most, but not be able to resolve all, of the issues in dispute during a single mediation. There is no limit to the number of mediations that the parties are allowed to engage in. Special discounted rates can be negotiated in circumstances where a further mediation will not require a full day to be set aside.