Maryland mediation costs $200 to $500 per hour, compared to attorney fees of $150 to $550 per hour, which can accumulate over months or years in litigation.
Court-designated mediators charge the reduced rate set by each circuit court under Maryland Rule 17-208, while private mediators set independent market rates.
A single mediation session typically resolves a dispute for a few thousand dollars, split between the parties, rather than the tens of thousands that a comparable case would cost through trial.
Acquaviva resolves Maryland business, injury, and employment disputes for a fraction of litigation’s cost — schedule a mediation before filing suit.
Mediation is a voluntary, confidential dispute resolution process in which a neutral third party helps disputing parties negotiate a binding settlement outside of court.
Maryland mediation costs fall into two categories: the reduced court rate that applies when a circuit court designates the mediator, and the private market rate that applies when parties select their own mediator.
Court-designated mediation follows the reduced-rate framework established by Maryland Rule 17-208; each circuit court sets its own hourly rate for court-appointed mediators in referred civil cases.
Private mediation carries no fee ceiling — mediators set rates based on experience, credentials, and case complexity, and parties who choose their own mediator, including one from a court’s approved roster, pay that private rate instead of the reduced court rate.
Montgomery County Circuit Court charges $200 per hour for Track 2 and 3 civil cases and $250 per hour for Tracks 4 through 6 when the court designates the mediator, with the fee split between the parties and a two-hour minimum per session.
Baltimore County Circuit Court raised its civil mediation fee for cases ordered on or after March 2, 2026, to $300 per hour for Track 3 Complex cases and $250 per hour for other tracks, replacing the prior flat $200-per-hour rate that still applies to cases ordered before that date.
For civil ADR referrals, Baltimore City Circuit Court continues to apply the $200-per-hour reduced rate under Rule 17-208.
Parties who choose their own mediator, rather than accepting the court’s assignment, pay that mediator’s private rate instead of the court rate in every county.
Private mediators in Maryland set independent hourly rates that fall entirely outside the court fee schedule.
Earl J. Acquaviva, Jr., an approved Maryland Circuit Court Civil Mediator since 2012 and licensed to practice law in Maryland since 1983, charges $500 per hour for private mediation covering business, employment, personal injury, and multi-state disputes.
His private caseload extends beyond Maryland Circuit Courts to other private, complex, and multi-jurisdictional nationwide disputes across 13 states — MD, VA, MA, PA, CA, AZ, DC, NC, AL, WA, TX, OH, and WI.
Private rates typically run higher than the court-designated rate because they reflect specialized subject-matter expertise — in Acquaviva’s case, four decades of experience managing litigation, employment disputes, and commercial contracts as former General Counsel and Chief Litigation Officer of Bally Total Fitness.
Parties who value a mediator’s specific background in business, contract, employment, and discrimination disputes often select a private mediator over a court-assigned one for that reason.
Standard Maryland mediation sessions run two to three hours for straightforward disputes. Court-ordered mediation typically caps sessions at two hours unless all parties agree to extend the time, while private mediation allows longer or multiple sessions when a case requires it.
Complex or multi-party matters, including class action and multi-jurisdictional disputes, commonly require full-day sessions or several scheduled dates rather than a single two-hour block.
Session length directly drives total cost, since mediators bill by the hour regardless of whether the rate is the court-designated fee or a private rate.
Total mediation cost scales with session length and case complexity, not with a separate per-case fee schedule.
The following are illustrative estimates that apply Earl Acquaviva’s $500-per-hour private rate against representative session lengths for each dispute category, split between the parties — actual session length varies by case:
| Dispute Type | Typical Session Length | Hourly Rate | Typical Total Cost (Split Between Parties) |
| Business & Contract Disputes | 3-6 hours, often one day | $500/hour | $1,500-$3,000 |
| Personal Injury & Wrongful Death | 2-4 hours, typically one day | $500/hour | $1,000-$2,000 |
| Employment & Discrimination | 3-6 hours, sometimes multiple sessions | $500/hour | $1,500-$4,000 |
| Class Action & Multi-Jurisdictional | Multiple sessions or dates | $500/hour | $4,000-$10,000+ |
Rising litigation expenses threaten the value of cases in every one of these categories — business dispute mediation preserves resources that parties would otherwise spend on trial preparation.
Litigation costs accumulate at every phase — filing fees, discovery, depositions, expert witnesses, and trial preparation — while mediation adds only the mediator’s hourly fee on top of any attorney costs a party already carries.
Maryland civil litigation attorneys bill $150 to $550 per hour, depending on the market and case complexity, and that hourly cost compounds over months or years rather than in a single session.
The Norton Rose Fulbright 2024 Litigation Trends Survey found that, nationally, a mid-size breach-of-contract case with $250,000 at stake costs $91,000 to $145,000 to litigate through trial, and complex commercial matters can exceed $200,000.
The table below applies this national benchmark to compare typical mediation and litigation costs for a mid-complexity Maryland dispute:
| Cost Factor | Mediation | Litigation (National Benchmark) |
| Professional Fees | $200-$500/hour, split between parties | $150-$550/hour, per side |
| Additional Mediator-Related Expenses | None typical — no filing, discovery, or expert fees added by the mediation process itself | Filing fees, discovery, depositions, expert witnesses |
| Typical Resolution Timeframe | One session to a few weeks | Months to years through trial |
| Total Cost, Mid-Complexity Dispute | $1,000-$4,000 | $75,000-$200,000+ |
Litigation total-cost figures reflect national benchmark data; Maryland-specific totals vary by county and case complexity.
Case complexity, the number of parties, and the number of sessions required drive up total mediation costs. Multi-jurisdictional disputes spanning several states, as those Earl Acquaviva handles across 13 states nationwide, typically require multiple sessions and higher total fees than a single-session business or personal injury matter.
Whether a court designates the mediator or the parties select a private mediator also affects cost — court-designated mediation remains fixed at the rate set by the assigned circuit court under Rule 17-208, while private mediation reflects the mediator’s own pricing.
Parties who want to discuss fee arrangements before scheduling can contact Earl directly to confirm total expected cost for their specific dispute type.
How much does mediation cost in Maryland?
Maryland mediation costs $200 to $500 per hour depending on whether a court designates the mediator or the parties select a private mediator. Court-designated mediators charge a reduced rate under Maryland Rule 17-208, while private mediators set independent market rates that reflect experience and case complexity.
What is the court-ordered mediation rate in Maryland Circuit Courts?
Maryland Rule 17-208 establishes the reduced-rate framework circuit courts use when a court designates the mediator, and each circuit court sets its own rate under that framework. Montgomery County charges $200 per hour for Track 2 and 3 civil cases and $250 per hour for Tracks 4 through 6, with the fees split between the parties.
Is mediation cheaper than litigation in Maryland?
Mediation costs substantially less than litigation in Maryland. Parties pay only the mediator’s hourly rate, split between them. At the same time, litigation adds attorney fees billed at $150 to $550 per hour, plus filing fees, discovery costs, and expert witness expenses that frequently exceed the disputed amount.
How much does a private mediator charge in Maryland?
Private Maryland mediators set independent hourly rates outside the court-ordered fee schedule set under Rule 17-208. Earl Acquaviva charges $500 per hour for private mediation covering business, employment, personal injury, and multi-state disputes, reflecting decades of corporate litigation management experience.
How long does a mediation session last in Maryland?
Standard Maryland mediation sessions run two to three hours for straightforward disputes, while complex or multi-party matters require full-day sessions or multiple scheduled dates. Court-ordered mediation typically caps sessions at two hours unless all parties agree in advance to extend the session length.
Who pays for mediation in a Maryland lawsuit?
Parties split the mediator’s fee evenly unless they negotiate a different arrangement. Court-designated mediation divides the reduced court rate between the litigants, while privately selected mediators bill at their own hourly rate, typically shared evenly between the parties to the dispute.
What factors increase the total cost of mediation in Maryland?
Case complexity, the number of parties, and the number of sessions required drive up total mediation costs. Multi-jurisdictional class actions and disputes spanning several states typically require multiple sessions, increasing total fees compared to single-session business or personal injury matters.
Can mediation costs be avoided entirely in Maryland?
Free mediation exists only through limited programs, including Maryland’s Custody Mediation Program and certain District Court community mediation centers. Circuit court civil, business, and personal injury mediation typically involves a fee, whether court-designated or privately arranged, split between the participating parties.
Is mediation cost negotiable in Maryland?
Private mediators set their own rates and may discuss fee arrangements directly with parties before scheduling a session. Court-designated mediation rates remain fixed by the assigned circuit court under Maryland Rule 17-208, though parties may request a different mediator or negotiate the split of costs.
Maryland mediation costs $200 to $500 per hour, a fraction of the $150-to-$550-per-hour attorney fees that accumulate over months or years of litigation.
Court-designated mediators charge the reduced rate set by their circuit court under Rule 17-208; private mediators like Earl J. Acquaviva, Jr. set independent rates reflecting case-specific experience.
A single Maryland mediation session typically costs a few thousand dollars, compared to $75,000 or more nationally for a mid-complexity case that proceeds to trial.
Protracted litigation drains time and money — contact Earl Acquaviva today to discuss transparent mediation pricing for a dispute in Maryland.