A Thrilling New Event Series for Mediators!
What happens when mediation meets mystery, debate, and high-stakes decision-making? Welcome to The Mediator’s Dilemma, an interactive event series that takes you to the heart of some of the toughest dilemmas mediators face.
Inspired by Geoffrey Robertson’s Hypotheticals, each session immerses you in a fictional yet realistic mediation scenario filled with ethical quandaries, unexpected twists, and moments where the path forward isn’t clear. As the story unfolds, you’ll face the same challenges as the mediator in the story.
Get ready to dive into the messy, fascinating, and rewarding world of mediation like never before.
The dilemmas are real.
The stakes are high.
And the answers?
That’s up to you.
Your role
The facilitator will guide you through the unfolding drama, pausing at critical “dilemma moments” to ask for audience engagement.
Participants will be asked to consider:
- What factors do you see as important in your decision about what to do next?
- What else would you like to know?
- What would you do, and why?
- How would your decision impact the parties / your role as mediator / others?
Why attend?
- Discuss with fellow mediators from diverse backgrounds.
- Challenge assumptions.
- Sharpen your skills.
- Learn from differing perspectives.
- Prepare for real-world practice: Explore dilemmas inspired by actual mediation challenges.
- Engage your mind: Experience a captivating blend of mediation meets reality TV, choose-your-own-adventure, and CSI-type detective work!
- Build community: Connect with peers in a thought-provoking, collaborative environment.
- Have fun: Because learning should be as entertaining as it is enlightening!
Who's it for?
Mediators at all levels—whether you’re stepping into your first session or reflecting on decades of experience, The Mediator’s Dilemma offers something for everyone.
Our next session
Power, Pressure, and the Edges of Ethics
What happens when private disclosures in mediation cross the line into intimidation? In this Mediator’s Dilemma, Catherine Davidson presents a gripping scenario: a workplace dispute spirals when an employer attempts to use damaging personal allegations as leverage, and both sides begin raising claims well beyond the original contract breach.
This session will challenge you to consider:
• How should mediators respond when “confidential” information feels more like coercion than negotiation?
• Where do we draw the boundary between relevance and weaponisation?
• When serious allegations emerge, is it still possible to maintain impartiality and keep the process safe?
Join us for an interactive exploration of these questions, and test your own judgment against one of the toughest ethical dilemmas mediators face.
Your facilitator for this session:
Catherine Davidson
Catherine Davidson is a mediator practising in Australia and internationally. She is listed in Who’s Who Legal 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as a leading commercial Mediator in Australia and in WWL Thought Leaders:Global Elite 2025. She is nationally accredited (AMDRAS), and certified by the International Mediation Institute (IMI) and Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI). Catherine has mediated over one thousand disputes and is appointed to international and national panels. Catherine has a legal background having practised commercial litigation in Sydney and London.
Forthcoming sessions
28 November – Personal values and ethics – Samantha Hardy
Access recordings of past sessions:
You are mediating what starts out to appear as a typical workplace conflict. But as the mediation progresses, you are increasingly concerned by the behaviour of one of the parties. Things get worse as the mediation continues. The mediation ends, but you can’t sleep that night. What if the worst case scenario happens? Are lives in danger? Is confidentiality more important than your concerns? Should you raise your concerns with the Manager who referred the case? Should you raise your concerns directly with the employer?
In this session you will explore the principle of confidentiality and debate under which circumstances confidentiality may be breached. You will also discuss the concept of “Perceived threat to human life or safety” and how you would determine whether your concerns are justified or not. You will be presented with a few twists in the story to demonstrated how the context may impact your decision.
In a remote mediation office, you’re the sole practitioner navigating a property dispute that seems, at first glance, relatively straightforward. Emily and Michael are back for round two—after a failed attempt at mediation last year, they’re now focused on dividing their assets. With financial disclosures exchanged and a session booked, the process appears smooth—until an unexpected phone call changes everything. It’s a small town. Everyone knows (almost) everything about everyone else. Suddenly you are finding out all sorts of things that seem to change the way this mediation should play out.
In this session you will explore the tension between good faith, fairness and justice, impartiality and confidentiality. What happens when the mediator knows information that one of the parties does not?
Emma and David, co-founders of a high-profile sustainability startup, enter mediation to resolve their deepening dispute. A confidentiality agreement is in place—but things quickly spiral out of control. From secret investor offers and accusations of mediator breaches, to covert recordings, LinkedIn subtext, and workplace gossip, this case throws up real-world dilemmas every mediator could face.
Should the mediator have disclosed more—or less? Is confidentiality a shield, a sword, or something in between? What happens when parties weaponize confidentiality—or claim breaches without evidence?
What happens when the real conflict isn’t just between the parties — but between the mediators themselves?
How do you manage different mediator styles?
What happens when your co-mediator breaches confidentiality?
When should you overtly disagree with your co-mediator for the sake of the parties?
How do you provide constructive feedback for a mediator who doesn’t seem to realise the impact of their approach?
Not every mediation is a good fit—and sometimes the hardest decision is whether to say yes in the first place.
In this next instalment of The Mediator’s Dilemma, we’ll explore real-world scenarios where mediators face tough calls before the process even begins. What do you do when you know one party socially? When there’s a serious power imbalance? When the dispute raises ethical concerns, or touches on your own values?
Join us for an interactive session where we’ll unpack the grey zones mediators navigate in intake and decision-making. You’ll hear from experienced practitioners, test your instincts against the crowd, and reflect on how you assess suitability, safety, and neutrality.
Not every mediation is a good fit—and sometimes the hardest decision is whether to say yes in the first place. In this next instalment of The Mediator’s Dilemma, we’ll explore real-world scenarios where mediators face tough calls before the process even begins. What do you do when you know one party socially? When there’s a serious power imbalance? When the dispute raises ethical concerns, or touches on your own values?
Join us for an interactive session where we’ll unpack the grey zones mediators navigate in intake and decision-making. You’ll hear from experienced practitioners, test your instincts against the crowd, and reflect on how you assess suitability, safety, and neutrality.
Let the discussions begin!
Individual session
$97+GST
Annual pass
$299+GST
- Registration for all Mediator's Dilemma sessions (and recordings) for the year.