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Mediator

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Are you great at negotiation? Can you keep a level head in any conflict and help people understand the opposing side of an argument? If you’ve got great communication and people skills and want to work within the legal sector, a career as a mediator could be perfect for you.

Are you interested in a career as a mediator? Explore the criminal and human rights law sector jobs and the commercial law sector jobs open for applications right now.

What do mediators do?

Mediators in the legal sector act as a neutral, unbiased connection between two conflicting parties. As a mediator, you mostly work within civil law cases. This is because civil law deals with disputes between two individuals or organisations rather than an explicit breaking of the law. Some minor civil cases can be brought to a conclusion without the requirement of a court case through mediation. You may work with criminal law to deal with conflict and bring about a positive resolution. Here are the tasks that you have as a mediator:

  • Meet with both parties separately to understand both sides of the dispute.
  • Either go between parties with points for discussion where you express the party’s thoughts in an unbiased and rational way, or sit the parties in a room together and encourage a structured and positive dialogue.
  • Make notes of the discussion and keep a record of what was agreed and spoken about.
  • Work with a solicitor to draw up agreements and resolve the legal dispute.
  • Pass the case onto solicitors if no agreement was reached.

Mediator career path

As a mediator, you have the option to work for a legal firm with your mediation skills. In this role, you’re exposed to many other career paths. If you enjoy discussing the law, you could train to become a paralegal, chartered legal executive, solicitor or barrister. If you enjoy working with people and suggesting positive solutions, you could go into change management or management consulting. Here is the career path for mediators:

Entry-level

You begin your career in a junior or entry-level mediation position. In this role, you're working with other mediation staff on their projects. You learn the skills that you need for your career and get a valuable insight into how to perform well as a mediator.

Career progression

As a mid-level mediator you start working on your own mediation projects. You have clients to meet with and discussions to negotiate. You might have junior colleagues to train or assist on their first mediation exercises.

Future career

With much experience, you become a senior mediator. In this role, you set the standard of work for the office. You’re given the most complex or highest profile cases to mediate. You spend time training junior colleagues, making sure they have all the assistance they need and are satisfied in their roles.

Mediator salaries

Here are the salaries that you could earn as a mediator:

  • In an entry-level mediation position, you earn between £17,000 and £22,000 per year.
  • In a mid-level position, you earn between £25,000 and £30,000 per year.
  • In a senior mediator position, you earn up to £35,000 per year.

Qualifications and training

Getting into the mediation field requires having the right education and experience. This helps you impress a hiring manager and work for the top law firms. Here are the qualifications and training that you need to succeed as a mediator:

Education

Most legal mediators have an undergraduate degree. This could be in law but could also be another subject like psychology. Whilst law teaches you the relevant background and contextual information that you can apply to conflict resolution, psychology teaches you the social factors behind conflict and may equip you well to handle your clients. Equally, you could complete an undergraduate degree in psychology, law or another relevant subject and then do a master’s degree in mediation or conflict resolution. Unlike the other degree options, having a master’s degree in mediation or conflict resolution teaches you skills that are directly relevant to your future job and helps you impress hiring managers. You can explore the courses available to you with the UCAS course search tool.

Work experience

Alongside your education, having some work experience is a great way to show a hiring manager that you’re prepared for your first job in mediation. One way to get some work experience is through an internship. During an internship, you work for a firm, helping existing team members to complete their work. It teaches you the necessary skills you need for the job and shows you how to work well in the environment. You can explore the criminal and human rights law internships and commercial law internships available right now.

Professional qualifications

If you don't already have relevant experience, one way to demonstrate your skills and get a great job in mediation is through a professional qualification. Keep in mind that qualifications are often costly to complete, so you may wish to consider working up to the role via relevant work experience instead. 

Mediator skills

Combining your qualifications and experience in mediation with your great skills helps you work your way up to a successful career as a mediator. When writing applications, it’s a good idea to have some examples of how you’ve gained or demonstrated the necessary skills throughout your education or working life. If you need a bit of help making your applications stand out, complete this module on mastering application writing. Here are the skills that you need to succeed as a mediator:

Hard skills

  • Legal understanding. As a legal mediator, you should have an understanding of the area of the law that your clients are disputing over. This means you know any legal repercussions of the dispute and how to address it within your discussions. An added benefit is that you maintain a level of respect with your clients. They need to see you as a neutral, informed person and understanding the legal root of what they’re fighting over is a good way to gain this respect.

Soft skills

  • Negotiation. You should be a good negotiator as a mediator. Your clients may not immediately want to compromise to come to a mutually beneficial and accepted conclusion. You need to negotiate with them and show them why it’s in their best interest to find a reasonable solution.
  • Critical thinking. You need to get down to the root of the conflict. Finding a solution means critically thinking about what has gone wrong and what both parties can do to make the other happy and move on.
  • Listening. Part of the cause of conflict is a party not feeling like they’re being heard. As a mediator, it’s your job to listen to both sides of the argument. Having great listening skills means taking in the cause of the dispute and why the parties are unhappy about the situation so you can turn it into a positive resolution.

If your communication skills need brushing up before you join the mediation career path, complete this module on adapting your communication style so you can address all types of mediation clients with clarity and confidence. 

Complete this module on creative problem solving to help think your way through any dispute a client may come to you with.

Pros and cons of being a mediator

As with any career path, there are positive and negative parts to working as a mediator. Understanding the good and bad parts helps you decide if being a mediator is the right career path for you. Here are the pros and cons of being a mediator:

Pros

  • It can be very satisfying when clients come to a mutually agreed upon conclusion and leave the firm without requiring further legal action.
  • It’s a highly social career path and you get to use your persuasive communication skills on a daily basis.

Cons

  • Some of your clients will be unwilling to negotiate and therefore not open to the mediation process, which can make your work very difficult.
  • The pay is relatively low, especially compared to other jobs in a law firm.

Mediator work-life balance

Mediators typically work standard office hours of 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday. However, it’s possible that the stress of dealing with some negotiations could impact your home life as you’re thinking about the negotiation. Maintaining a good work-life balance as a mediator means being able to leave the conflict at work and have healthy stress management techniques that you develop to cope with the working environment.

Typical employers

Many mediators in the legal sector are employed by law firms. Here are some of the typical employers that you could work for as a mediator:

Related jobs

  • Legal secretary
  • Paralegal
  • Solicitor
  • Barrister
  • Corporate lawyer

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