The number of cases referred to mediation in the last year has more than doubled, according to new statistics from the Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR).The statistics reveal a rapid growth in the number of cases being referred to mediation by the courts.

For the first time, the majority of cases being mediated originate outside London, though the capital remains the centre for conducting mediations.CEDR mediated 462 commercial cases in the year to March 2000, an increase of 141% on the 192 commercial cases mediated in the previous year.

The total number of all mediations - commercial and non-commercial - was 550 in the year to March 2000, compared to 257 the previous year.Commercial contract disputes accounted for 31% of the total number of cases mediated last year, more than double the total of the year before.

CEDR attributed this to the increased prevalence of mediation clauses in contracts.Of the total cases mediated last year, 19% were referred by the courts, as opposed to 8% in the previous year.

CEDR said this is a direct result of the Woolf reforms, which have increased the case-management powers of judges through the Civil Procedure Rules.

Three-quarters of referrals came between October 1999 and March 2000, which CEDR said was further evidence of a fundamental culture change resulting from the Woolf reforms.

Solicitors with negligence claims remain one of the larger sectors using mediation - 7% of the total.CEDR reported that 63 mediations involved overseas parties - from places such as China, India, and Saudi Arabia, as well as America - a 66% jump on last year.CEDR chairman Karl Mackie said: 'The rapid rise of mediation is continuing to gain momentum.

Court referrals have added to the increase, but more importantly, we are witnessing a real change in culture.'Jeremy Fleming