If Covid-19 Disputes Are The Problem, Could Mediation Be The Answer?

INTRODUCTION

The current Covid-19 pandemic has the potential to give rise to disputes across the entire spectrum of economic activity. Companies and individuals will have been unable to perform their contractual obligations whether to pay rents or other sums due or to perform their part of a contract on time or in the manner agreed. One company's failure may have had knock-on effects causing others to find themselves in default and in dispute. The amounts in dispute may be relatively small (but still critically important to some or all of those involved) or may be extremely significant. There may be two disputing parties or multiple parties. There may be urgent matters which call for the swift and efficient resolution of disputes to enable the parties to get on with their businesses. The issues in dispute may be highly technical or relatively straightforward. The parties in such situations will have strict legal rights and obligations which they could resolve by