Within what period must a mediation committee finish mediating a dispute, and what must it do if that period is extended?
General information · Not legal advice
Material to check
In a practice file we look at the paper showing the day the mediation application for the dispute was received, the committee's resolution recording a decision to extend, and any notice sent to the parties stating the reason for the extension and the other matters concerning it.
These are types of material to look for, not evidence already verified by PRO SE.
Where readings differ
One reading runs the period from the day the committee received the application for mediation of the dispute, and requires the committee to finish the mediation within the period the provision sets, unless a committee resolution extending it is first made on unavoidable circumstances, in which case the extension may not go beyond the range the provision allows.
Another reading stresses the notice duty that follows an extension: where the committee has extended under the proviso, it must notify the parties of the reason for the extension and the other matters relating to it, while the provision leaves open what those other matters must include.
Your judgment
When a committee notifies the parties of an extension, what in the notice would show the reason given and the other matters the provision requires it to cover?
PRO SE does not make this decision or keep a case record on this public site.When to reconsider
We look at this again if the provision is amended to change the periods or the notice duty, or if a court decision explains what circumstances count as unavoidable or what an extension notice must contain.