Simplified regulations for lawyers wishing to be entered in the list of Liechtenstein mediators

The requirements to be met in order to be entered in the list of mediators in Liechtenstein include records of attendance for 365 training units within the framework of mediator training.This must be regarded as being a very large number of hours compared with other countries and is oriented to the very stringent requirements that apply in Switzerland and Austria.

There is an exemption for lawyers who practise in Liechtenstein, which takes the form of a reduced number of necessary training hours.These lawyers only have to provide records of 220 training hours in order to qualify for entry in the list of mediators.

The reduced number of hours is based on Art. 6 para. 2 of the Liechtenstein Civil Rights Mediation Act (Zivilrechtsmediationsgesetz ZMG) on the grounds that, in the course of their training and professional experience, lawyers acquire knowledge and skills that help them to conduct mediation.

By taking the abilities acquired by lawyers within the framework of their training and practical experience into account, the legislator is also signalling its intention to selectively upgrade the concept of mediation and its dissemination within the field of professional conflict processing, moving the solution of such conflicts away from the courthouses to an ever increasing extent.