Website reviews

Scottish Mediation Network

www.scottishmediation.org.uk

The obvious place to start when looking for information about mediation in Scotland, the Scottish Mediation Network’s aim is to “put mediation into the mainstream” and I suppose this website is one of the means for doing just that.

The website itself is well laid out in a style which is best described as “unfussy”. Split into four main sections (one of which is the homepage!), it is well organised and once you get the hang of the navigation it is quite simple to find your way around the surprisingly large amount of useful information. From advice and information on what mediation is, to how to become a mediator, downloadable membership forms and newsletters, there is enough to keep the enthusiast busy for quite a while.

The site’s stand-out feature is the Map of Mediation Services. This is essentially a directory of services in Scotland, arranged by local authority area, which can be accessed by clicking on an interactive map. At least, it can if you’re using Internet Explorer. If you’re using Netscape Browser, it may or may not work depending on your setup. If FireFox is your browser of choice, forget it.

Even if the map is working for you, it would be more useful to be able to search under the particular field of mediation as well as or instead of by locality.

CALM

www.calmscotland.org.uk

Comprehensive Accredited Lawyer Mediators uses the acronym CALM, but after a visit to its website I was anything but. The site’s logo is an orange bridge with a blue river flowing under it and the navigation adopts the form of this bridge. Though a nice enough idea, it means that the text of each of the navigational links is distorted into the shape of a bit of bridge or river and may read left to right, top to bottom, or bottom to top. This wouldn’t be such a disaster if there were alternative text links or “alt” attributes to the images used, but there are neither. Oh, and not all the internal links actually work, either. And, yes, the one text link on the main page is the phrase “click here” – very helpful! In fact, the website as a whole is hideously inaccessible.

Why is this important? Because it means that someone with a visual impairment will find it impossible to use CALM’s website. The same goes for anyone who has images turned off on their browser (something I used to do to save time due to a slow modem). Or anyone trying to access the site on some types of mobile phone. And it means that no-one will ever, ever find CALM on Google. Try it – you’ll fail! Not to mention that it’s probably in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Even if you manage to access the text, there is not that much to it, and the rollover images don’t work that well – and though the database of CALM members does, I really did not like this site.

Catalyst Mediation

www.catalystmediation.co.uk

Catalyst Mediation is a company offering mediation services and much of its website is given over to promoting those services. However, there are some points of wider interest.

First, the column on the home page headed “Latest” is a good place to keep up with recent developments in the world of mediation generally. Further, two PDF files in the section called “Information Library” may be of interest. The first is a list of some recommended books on mediation. The second is the Lawyers List, of those who “consider that mediation may be helpful in assisting clients to achieve a settlement which recognises their interests and meets their needs”. There are instructions on how to get yourself added to that list. There is even a “Solicitors’ Corner” for those of us who are new to mediation.

Core Mediation

www.core-solutions.com

Core Solutions is another mediation company, and their website has many similar resources, including a reading list and a latest news section. Of particular use may be the style mediation clause for inserting if you are drafting a contract and want to ensure that both parties attempt mediation prior to any litigation. It appears that you are free to use this clause without further permission from Core, which is helpful of them. There are also well written and illuminating “notes for legal advisors” which describe how best to advise and represent a client in a mediation.

Mediate.com

www.mediate.com

Finally I’ve just space to mention Mediate.com – a US site which is the world’s most visited mediation site. Why? The site is simply huge and access to its enormous online library of articles is absolutely free. There is plenty of interest to lawyer/mediators here as well.