Mediation is a must if you want to stay on the right side of the judge and avoid the opposing party using a refusal to mediation against you during the case.   Specific attention is being paid by courts to timescales in orders; and the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) such as mediation. Practice Direction- Pre-Action Conduct section 1.2(2) and section 8 asks participants to consider ADR methods before going down a more formal route, and the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) part 1.4(e) a