General Principles of Mediation:

• The parties must be willing to allow a neutral third party to help them come to an agreement
• The mediator chosen must be acceptable to both parties
• The mediator cannot have been involved in mediation with either party previously
• The mediator cannot have received privileged information from either party previously
• The mediator cannot have any conflict of interest, which means the mediator’s background must not suggest that he or she would favour either party
• The parties must be willing to listen to each other, or to be flexible in their positions
• The mediator must remain neutral throughout the process
• The mediator controls the process
• The parties control the settlement
• The parties must attend voluntarily and cannot be forced to negotiate or settle