Code of conduct

The standards I work to.

Dunya Mediations practises as a Civil Mediation Council regulated mediator and adopts the CMC Code of Professional Conduct for Civil and Commercial Mediators. What follows is that code in plain English: what it means in practice, and what you are entitled to expect.

Competence

I will only take on a mediation I am competent to conduct. That means appropriate accredited training, continuing professional development, and a frank answer if a dispute falls outside my experience or expertise. I will say so rather than take the fee.

Voluntary participation and consent

Mediation is voluntary. No party is required to attend, to make an offer, or to settle. I will satisfy myself that each party understands the process and is participating of their own accord, and I will not proceed where I am not satisfied of that.

Confidentiality

What is said in a mediation stays in the mediation. Everything is confidential and conducted on a without prejudice basis. Information given to me in a private session is not passed to the other party without permission. The limited exceptions — where the law requires disclosure, or where there is a serious risk of harm — will be explained to the parties before the session begins.

Impartiality and independence

I have no interest in the outcome and no relationship with either party beyond the mediation itself. Before accepting an instruction I check for any connection — personal, professional or financial — with the parties, their advisers or the dispute. Anything that could reasonably be seen as a conflict is disclosed to both parties, and I will decline the instruction if either party objects.

Neutrality

I do not advise, represent, judge or take sides. I do not express a view on who is right, and I do not tell a party whether to accept an offer. My role is to manage the process so that the parties can find their own terms. Nothing on this website or said in a mediation is legal advice.

Fairness

Both parties get the same time, the same information and the same opportunity to be heard. If one party is unrepresented and the other is not, I will take care that the imbalance does not distort the process. I will not allow a party to be bullied into a settlement, and I will stop the session if that begins to happen.

Legality

I will not assist the parties to reach a settlement that is unlawful, or that I reasonably believe is intended to further a criminal purpose. Each party remains responsible for taking its own legal advice on any settlement, and I will encourage that where the terms have legal consequences.

The right to withdraw

Any party may withdraw at any time, for any reason, without giving one. I may also end or decline a mediation where it cannot properly continue — for example if a party is not participating in good faith, if a conflict emerges that cannot be managed, or if the process is being used to delay or exhaust the other side.

Fees

Fees are agreed in writing before the mediation takes place. There is no hourly billing and no charge for time spent that was not agreed. Where the Civil Mediation Council Fixed Fee Scheme applies, the published fee for the relevant band and session length is the fee charged. Any additional hour, and the basis on which it is charged, is stated before it is incurred.

How I present my practice

I hold the CMC category of Associate Mediator and will describe myself only by the category I actually hold. I will not claim accreditation, qualification, panel membership or experience I do not have, and I will not describe an outcome as typical when it is not something I can evidence.

Professional standards

The practice maintains the professional indemnity insurance required of CMC regulated mediators, completes mediation-specific continuing professional development each year, and handles personal data in accordance with UK GDPR under the privacy notice published on this site.

Complaints

If you believe I have fallen short of this code, please raise it. The procedure, the timescales and the route to the Civil Mediation Council are set out in the complaints procedure.

Last updated 17 October 2026.