Choosing commercial mediation software for ADR practices

Map the matter from referral to close

Start with your real workflow, not a feature checklist. Commercial matters often arrive through referring lawyers who expect visibility, brief upload, and predictable fee handling without you becoming their inbox.

List each step: enquiry or booking, all-party confirmation, intake, position papers, fee requests, session logistics, and matter close. If co-mediators or panel colleagues share work, include handoffs and who owns the matter record.

• Lawyer referral with read-only progress (Practice plan)
• Single payer or custom fee splits before session day
• Secure document collection without party standing logins
• Matter timeline through close, not scattered email threads

What commercial practice admin actually needs

Commercial disputes differ from low-volume private bookings. You may run higher document volume, tighter lawyer coordination, and fee arrangements where one party pays the full mediation fee.

Purpose-built ADR software connects booking to confirmation, intake, documents, and Stripe Connect fee collection on one matter record. Generic schedulers stop at the calendar; law firm practice management assumes you are the solicitor, not the neutral.

Lawyer portal and referral expectations

On Neutly Practice, referring firms can get a read-only lawyer portal for referred matters: booking status, intake completion, fee status, secure brief upload, and exports where your process requires them.

That portal complements your practice; it does not replace the firm's matter management or provide legal advice to anyone. Confirm with referring lawyers what they need to see before session day.

Fees, GST context, and Stripe Connect

Party session fees flow to your practice through Stripe Connect. Neutly does not hold client money. Platform subscription (Solo or Practice) is separate from what disputants pay you.

Commercial matters often need a designated single payer or custom splits. Send payment requests from the matter, automate reminders, and record external payments when parties pay by invoice or trust transfer outside card checkout.

Solo trial vs Practice for panels

Independent commercial mediators can start on Solo with a 14-day trial and no card required upfront. Upgrade to Practice when you add co-mediators (up to four per practice), need the lawyer portal, run multi-party matters with up to six principal disputants, or want public directory listing.

Co-mediator cases and practice-wide booking stay on Practice; each colleague keeps a personal booking slug and their own Connect account for fee routing.

Confidentiality, hosting, and honest limits

Neutly hosts application data in AWS Sydney (ap-southeast-2). Mediators remain responsible for professional judgment, process design, and what they share with parties and lawyers.

The platform is administrative software only: no legal advice, no neutral selection for court lists, and no native live video hosting. Optional staff-only AI assists internal drafting when you enable it; it does not advise parties or outcomes.

How to evaluate vendors fairly

Ask for a walkthrough on a commercial referral matter, not a generic demo. Confirm which features require Practice, how parties access intake without passwords, and how lawyer visibility works end to end.

Be cautious of overclaims about AI outcomes, registry integration, or video inside the product if those are not actually shipped for your tier.