This chapter discusses when and how to begin your mediation.

For the most part, we assume that you will be the person initiating the effort to mediate, which means it will be up to you to start the process with a mediator or mediation service.

If mediation is required: If you are required to mediate by a court or other agency, as part of a court-connected mediation program,

or under the terms of a contract, many issues discussed in this chapter obviously won’t apply (and it makes sense to skip or skim them). However, if the court order or contract gives you the right to participate in selecting your mediator or mediation service, the information in Section C will be useful.

A.