Mediator Database FAQ's

Q: How much does it cost to add my details into the Clerksroom Mediator Database?

A:  We have two membership options available. You can join the database for free by selecting our Exclusive Membership package. This would mean that you are exclusive to Clerksroom only and we would administer any mediation enquiry that you receive via any avenue.
If you wish to have the benefits of joining the database but do not wish to be exclusive, you can become a Non-Exclusive Member for an annual fee of £200.00 + VAT (to be paid as a lump sum). This cost is for Clerksroom maintaining the website as a platform to advertise your profile along with the added advantage of being able to update and maintain your member dashboard. This will enable you to keep a complete record of your mediation practice in one place.

Q: Are there any hidden costs/extras?

A: The only cost would be the Non-Exclusive Membership fee.  If parties choose a mediator from the database and wish to instruct them, the mediation clerks contact the firm, organisation or chambers and obtain dates and fees. The mediator is paid 100% of their fees charged.

Q: What is the Civil Mediation Council? 

A: Please visit www.civilmediation.org 

Q: Do I need to be registered with the Civil Mediation Council?

A: From 1 January 2023 you will need to be registered with the Civil Mediaiton Council to join our database or that of any registered CMC provider.

 Q: If I am an Exclusive Member, can I conduct pro-bono mediations?

A: Clerksroom Mediation do not offer pro-bono mediations but if you wish to mediate one independently this is acceptable on the understanding that Clerksroom will have no involvement.

Q: How is ‘Exclusivity’ governed?

A: We rely on our Exclusive Members’ goodwill and honesty to refer any direct enquiries from any avenue to Clerksroom Mediation. By agreeing to be Exclusive to Clerksroom, Mediators must not be on any other Mediator Panels (unless pro bono or Family). If you have your own website it must be made clear that enquiries are administered by Clerksroom. If you advertise fees you will also need to add in our admin charge of £400.00 + VAT per party. By agreeing to be exclusive, if you take an enquiry from elsewhere this will result in your profile being removed from the website and your membership cancelled.

Q: Can I change my level of membership at any time?

A: If you are an Exclusive Member, you can choose to become Non-Exclusive at any time which will start a 12 month membership for the fee of £200.00 + VAT. You can change from Non-Exclusive to Exclusive before your 12 month membership is up if you wish, but no refund will be given.

Q: Am I contracting with Clerksroom or the parties?

A: Clerksroom. Administration of the mediation is undertaken by Clerksroom and you invoice Clerksroom for your full fees which are held on account and paid by BACS within 30 days of the mediation.

Q: I’m a Barrister so my insurance is with Bar Mutual, is this sufficient?

A: No. Bar Mutual calculates your cover based on income and may not be £1m automatically. You will need to refer to your cover note and check that your cover is at least £1m. If it is not, you will need to contact Bar Mutual and ensure you have £1m cover before you can undertake commercial & civil mediation as a mediator. Note: Towergate also provide cover if you wish to obtain an alternative quote.

Q: Why do I need Insurance?

A: The Civil Mediation Council requires any mediator undertaking civil and commercial mediation in the UK to have in place at least £1m of professional indemnity cover.

Q: You are required by the CMC to complete 6 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) per calendar year. What counts as CPD?

Please see link to CMC's CPD page:

https://civilmediation.org/cpd-for-mediators/

Q: Where can I find Mediator CPD Courses?

A: Most of the major mediation trainers offer CPD training to the Civil Mediation Council standards. Check to see with your trainer to see what they offer.

Q: What are the levels of mediator in the database?

A:Junior mediator is someone who has undertaken up to 25 mediations to date and the details are recorded in the database. Senior mediator is someone who has undertaken between 25 and 50 mediations to date and the details are recorded in the database. 

Q: How do I become an Elite Mediator?

A: An Elite Mediator is someone who has undertaken more than 50 mediations, the details are recorded in the mediator history tab and the thumbs up rating submitted by clients to date has a score of more than 80%. The system generates mediator status based on the information contained in the file; it is not set by the administrator and cannot be set manually.

Q: I’ve lost my username or password, how can I get a reminder?

A: Please visit the login page and click on the reminder password text. It will be re-sent to the registered email. If you are having problems, call 01823 704099 and we will help.

Q: How do I convert my Training Certificate or Insurance documents to PDF?

A: There are plenty of free PDF conversion tools on the web, a good one is
http://www.freepdfconvert.com/

Q: How can I get feedback into my profile?

A: Feedback is electronic, sealed and received direct from clients following a mediation. The Clerking team will send all feedback requests for Exclusive Members and for Non-Exclusive Members who have conducted a mediation administered by Clerksroom.  Non-Exclusive Members who have conducted a mediation outside of Clerksroom can send their own feedback requests via their user dashboard and you will copied in on the reply (Please note that these requests will first be sent to the clerking team for authorisation before being sent on to the parties). Please note you must give each feedback request a unique reference number as the database checks itself and removes automatically any duplicate references. If you use the same file reference for both parties, please add A and B etc to the end for each request.

The Clerksroom feedback policy is:
One Feedback per party
Feedbacks are not to be handed out on the day to complete
Feedback requests not to be sent to yourself for completion on behalf of a party

Q: What is the meaning of the Thumbs Up Rating which appears on the upper right side of the profile page?  

A: The very clever people at Morphsites have created an algorithm for us to represent the number of feedbacks received verses positive feedback, in a fairly intuitive way, creating a percentage rating for the Mediator. For those mathematically minded, the full algorithm is:
Thumbs Up Rating  = (feedbacks * average_score + weight * mean) / (feedbacks + weight)

Only mediators with 5 feedbacks or more will have a thumbs up rating. 

Q: How can I secure mediations through Clerksroom?

A: Marketing and promotion of your new qualification must be the responsibility of the mediator. Clerksroom are happy to offer advice and guidance whenever practical but Clerksroom is an administration service, providing administrative support for parties wishing to appoint a mediator.

There is no difference between being Exclusive and Non-Exclusive with the amount of work you can expect to receive.

It is important to understand that Clerksroom is not a provider of work, it is an administrative service that we encourage you to refer clients to and make use of.
We do not choose the mediator, the parties do so you need to make your profile as appealing as possible.

If you need help or have a question please contact the Mediation Clerks on 01823 704099 who would be happy to help or email [email protected]