Start a Mediation and Conflict Resolution Practice

1. 1

   Get trained and rostered

   Complete a recognized mediation training and check your state's requirements for court rosters and family mediation. The credential opens doors; your career is what makes parties trust you once inside.

2. 2

   Pick your dispute lane

   Choose the conflicts your background earns: workplace and employment if you ran HR, partnership and commercial if you were an executive, family if that is your training. Specialists get referred; generalists wait.

3. 3

   Set two price structures

   Bill $150 to $500 per hour for family and employment matters, and day rates of $3,000 to $15,000 for complex commercial disputes. Publish clear rates so referrers can quote you confidently.

4. 4

   Build the referral network

   Attorneys, courts, HR departments, and therapists are where disputes surface. A steady, credible neutral who returns calls fast becomes their default recommendation.

5. 5

   Set up the practice properly

   Budget $3,000 to $20,000 for training, insurance, a professional agreement template, and a simple office or video setup. Most sessions can run from a conference room or online.

6. 6

   Turn resolutions into reputation

   Ask satisfied attorneys and parties for referrals and reviews after each matter closes. Established practices in this field earn $80,000 to $250,000 a year.

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Best for: Calm, credible professionals who have managed real conflict

Not for: People who avoid confrontation or need every session to end in agreement, since mediators sit inside other people's conflict for a living and some disputes do not settle.