A lot of things ground to a halt in early March when stay-at-home orders were issued by governments across the country. This included many ongoing legal battles. Unsure what to do next and handle upcoming court dates, those involved in contract disputes put everything on hold.

This does not need to be the case, though, claim legal experts who are urging disputing parties to try remote mediation to resolve their differences. They believe that it does not matter who is involved in the contract disputes – contractors, suppliers, customers, or other parties – mediation will allow for an efficient resolution even when people are unable to come together face to face to negotiate their issues.

Legal experts are also reminding people that the opening of the courts in the coming weeks and months does not mean their issues will be dealt with quickly. Chances are most courts will have to catch up and will have a significant backlog of cases to deal with. Resolving a dispute via remote mediation during this time instead of waiting to litigate the issue when courts re-open could save a lot of time, money, and frustration for those involved.

They are also reminding people of the benefits of mediation and pointing out that those benefits exist whether mediation is remote or face to face. Mediation is still confidential, still less expensive, and still more flexible than legislation. It is also wildly successful and makes resolution possible in at least 70 percent of cases. Mediation is especially effective in contract disputes due to the detailed and specific information discussed in these cases.