Process and fees

Mediation begins with a free 30-minute initial call in which we clarify whether mediation is the right process. Individual conversations with the parties follow if needed. In the joint sessions we gather the issues, clarify the interests behind them and develop options. At the end there is a written agreement, provided the parties reach one.

Mediation usually takes three to four sessions of two to four hours each. The length of each session is agreed in advance in text form, for example by email. I recommend one to two weeks between sessions to allow time for reflection and implementation. If the parties live in different places and travel to attend, two sessions can take place on the same day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

For private clients, total prices including 19% VAT apply: €261.80 per hour, €1,309.00 for a half day and €2,618.00 for a full day (net €220.00, €1,100.00 and €2,200.00). For clients resident outside the EU, no German VAT applies; for them, the net amount applies. This covers mediation, supervision, facilitation and consulting. I do not charge separately for preparation and follow-up of individual sessions. Example: three sessions of two hours each cost €1,570.80, net €1,320.00. The parties usually share the costs equally; they can agree on a different split. The initial call is free of charge. Sessions can be cancelled without a cancellation fee up to 48 hours in advance; you still bear travel or room costs agreed in advance that have already been incurred.

For companies and organisations, the net amounts apply, plus statutory VAT where applicable, currently 19% for services subject to German VAT: €220.00 per hour, €1,100.00 for a half day and €2,200.00 for a full day. In workplace conflicts, the employer usually covers the costs. For ongoing cooperation I offer framework contracts with pools of hours, for example the Team-Dojo. The initial call is free of charge. The same cancellation periods apply as for private clients.

Yes, on my part as the mediator. Under Section 4 of the German Mediation Act (Mediationsgesetz), I am bound to confidentiality regarding everything I learn in the mediation. The law provides three exceptions:

• where disclosure of the agreement is necessary to implement or enforce it,
• where overriding considerations of public policy require it, in particular to prevent a risk to a child's welfare or serious harm to a person's physical or psychological integrity,
• for facts that are common knowledge or do not require confidentiality.

The participants themselves are not legally bound to confidentiality. However, I recommend that they treat the content as confidential until an agreement has been reached.

When an organisation commissions the mediation, we agree before we start which information goes to the client. As a rule, this is only whether the mediation took place and which agreement the parties release.

Yes. Each party can end the mediation at any time, even if it was initiated by the employer. Voluntary participation is a precondition for mediation to produce durable results at all.

No. The outcome is decided by the parties, not by the mediator. I am responsible for the process: that everyone is heard, that the issues are clarified and that agreements are concrete and workable. Mediation is less suitable if parties do not want to take part, if a legal decision is indispensable, or if a power imbalance cannot be balanced within the process.

I recommend it. As a mediator I am not permitted to advise you on the law, and without a lawyer's assessment it stays unclear what you are entitled to and what you owe. Take that advice during the process if you need it, and at the latest before signing an agreement. What you learn there, you bring into the mediation.

The legal position is then one criterion among several. That is one of the advantages of mediation: you can give equal or greater weight to considerations that would carry none in court.

Both are possible. Sessions with up to five people take place at no extra cost in my office in Berlin-Mitte (Chausseestr. 104) or online. For larger groups or sessions at your premises, travel and venue costs are charged at actual cost, as agreed in advance. For online sessions you need a stable internet connection, a camera and a microphone.

I work in German, English and Japanese. This applies to mediation, facilitation, supervision and training. For conflicts in international or German-Japanese teams, see Intercultural Mediation and Japan Desk.

Mediation is a process for a specific conflict between two or more parties, aimed at a joint agreement. Facilitation structures conversations and decisions in groups, such as retreats or team meetings, even without an acute conflict. Supervision is reflection on one's own professional practice, individually or as a team. In the initial call we clarify which format fits.

The Team-Dojo is an annual programme for a team of around five to ten people. It includes an opening workshop, one team review per quarter and ten hours on demand, for example for mediation, individual conversations or facilitation. The programme is aimed at companies and organisations and costs €6,700.00 net per year and team, plus statutory VAT where applicable, currently 19% for services subject to German VAT. You enter into the agreement for the annual programme; at first I invoice only the opening workshop, at €1,900.00 plus VAT where applicable. After the workshop you have two weeks to decide whether the annual programme follows. The remaining services and the monthly instalments begin only once you confirm. More under Team-Dojo.