Options for out-of-court dispute resolution
from an engineering point of view

The German act to promote mediation and other methods of out-of-court conflict resolution entered into force on 26 July 2012. This act transposes Directive 2008/52/EC on certain aspects of mediation in civil and commercial matters into national law. As a result, a legal basis exists for mediation as an alternative instrument for out-of-court dispute resolution.

Mediation designates the work on resolving a conflict whilst involving an independent third party that acts as an intermediary. This third party has no decision-making authority. It is responsible for establishing the setting for the...