XI · Justice

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Community mediation Brindlemoor and the Wendle Valley

Agree on what you can. Name what’s left.

Proofline is a small mediation practice for tenants and landlords, neighbors, and small businesses in a dispute. We don’t decide who’s right. We sit you both at one table, write down what you agree, and are exact about what you don’t.

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How to read this page

Settled
agreed, fixed or certain
Open
depends, or not decided yet
1
a claim with a source, listed at the foot
Plan of Room 2 at 14 Kestrel Row, drawn to scale A room 17 by 20 feet with a long table on the center line. Your chair and the other side’s chair face each other across the table and the mediator sits at its head, on the center line. The agreement sheet lies in the middle of the table. One door leads to the hall, another to a private room, and a kettle stands on the counter. A spare chair at the foot of the table is drawn dashed, because it is only used if both sides agree. KESTREL ROW 20 ft 17 ft Hall Room 3 private CENTER LINE 0 4 8 ft ROOM 2 · 14 KESTREL ROW Plan at 1:48, drawn for new clients 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

The room, drawn to scale Press a number to find it on the plan.

Three kinds of dispute. Most of them aren’t about money.

They’re about a water heater, a hedge, a van across a driveway, a shelf that was never installed. Below is what an agreement from each looks like: sample wording, clause by clause, marked settled or open.

Show the agreement for
Plan of a two-bedroom apartment. Markers show the bedroom carpet and the front door, both settled, and mold on the kitchen wall, still open. Kitchen Bed 2 Hall and living room 1 2 3

Tenant and landlord

Security deposits, repairs, back-rent plans, move-out dates, landlord visits. A 3-hour session and a 1-hour look at the lease.

Not for: eviction cases already on a court calendar.

Sample agreement Apt. 2, 9 Teasel Court

  1. Settled

    The $1,500 security deposit is returned by May 14, less $180 for the carpet in bedroom 2.

  2. Settled

    The landlord texts 48 hours ahead of any visit, except for emergencies.

  3. Open

    Whether the kitchen mold was there before the lease began.

    Next step agreed: one inspector, chosen together, the fee split in half.

Plan of two backyards. Markers show the hedge and the workshop, both settled, and a dashed line where the property line might run, still open. No. 4 No. 6 1 2 3

Neighbors

Noise, hedges and trees, property lines, parking, shared driveways, trash cans, pets. One 3-hour session, usually in the early evening.

Not for: anything involving threats or violence. We’ll say where to go instead.

Sample agreement 4 and 6 Siskin Lane

  1. Settled

    The arborvitae on the shared property line are cut to 6 feet by April 30. Number 4 pays; number 6 opens the side gate for the gardener.

  2. Settled

    No power tools in the number 6 workshop after 8 pm on weekdays, or before 10 am on weekends.

  3. Open

    Where the property line actually runs: along the hedge, or a foot east of it.

    Next step agreed: both bring their deeds and survey maps to a second session.

Plan of a small bakery. Markers show the unpaid invoice on the counter and two shelf units still to be installed, both settled, and the loading door where a late delivery is still an open question. Counter Oven Shelves 1 2 3

Small business

Unpaid invoices, late or unfinished work, commercial leases, partners going separate ways. For businesses with fewer than ten employees. A 4-hour session and an hour with the paperwork.

Not for: claims over $15,000.

Sample agreement Merriwell & Daughter and Wrenwick Millwork

  1. Settled

    Invoice 0412, for $3,600, is paid in three installments of $1,200: on June 1, July 1 and August 1.

  2. Settled

    Wrenwick Millwork installs the last two shelf units by May 20, at no extra charge.

  3. Open

    Whether the late-delivery clause in the original quote applies.

    Next step agreed: each side gets its own legal advice, then both come back.

Five steps. You can stop after any of them.

Every step has your part and ours, side by side. Typical time from first call to the session: two to four weeks.2

  1. The first call

    Day 0 · 20 minutes · free

    You

    Call or use the form. Tell us what happened, in your own words.

    We

    Listen, ask what a good outcome looks like, and tell you your fee. If court or legal advice would suit you better, we say so.

  2. The letter

    Within 5 business days

    You

    Read the letter we draft to the other side. Change anything you’d put differently. Nothing goes until you approve it.

    We

    Mail it, email it, then call once. If they say no, we stop there and you’ve paid nothing.

  3. Their call

    Within 10 business days

    You

    Wait. We tell you when they’ve answered, and nothing about what they said.

    We

    Give them the same free twenty minutes you had, and the same chance to say no.

  4. The session

    One afternoon or evening · 3 or 4 hours

    You

    Say what matters to you. Hear what matters to them. Step out to your private room whenever you want.

    We

    Keep time, keep order, and write the sheet as you go: teal lines agreed, amber lines still open.

  5. The sheet

    Signed within 7 days, or not

    You

    Take it home. Sign within seven days, or don’t. Unsigned, it binds nobody.

    We

    Type it up, send you each a copy, and call you both six weeks later to ask if it’s holding.

Mediation, small-claims court, or waiting it out.

Each is the right choice for somebody. Here is what each one involves, on seven criteria, with a source for every figure. Court wins on some rows. We’ve left them in.

Read the column for
Mediation at Proofline, small-claims court and waiting it out, compared on seven criteria. Each cell is marked settled, meaning fixed or certain, or open, meaning it depends.
CriterionMediation at ProoflineSmall-claims courtWaiting it out
What it costs you Settled$0 to $250 each, by household income band. The first call is free and nobody pays more than $300.1 Settled$30 to $100 to file and $15 to $75 to serve the papers, by claim size. Plus a day off work.3 OpenNothing now. Later, unknown: a deposit can become a claim, a hedge a property-line case.
How long it takes SettledTwo to four weeks from the first call. The session itself is one afternoon.2 OpenOften two to four months from filing to hearing, depending on the court’s calendar.3 OpenNo end date.
Who decides OpenYou both do. If you don’t agree, nothing is decided, and every other option stays open. SettledA judge decides, whether or not either of you likes it.3 OpenNobody.
Who hears it SettledOnly the people in the room. What’s said can’t be used in court later, within the limits of ground rule 3.4 SettledThe hearing is open to the public and the judgment goes on record.3 SettledNobody, because nothing is said.
What you leave with OpenA sheet you both signed, or nothing signed at all. Either way, a phone call from us at six weeks. SettledA judgment. If they don’t pay, collecting on it is a separate step with its own fee.3 OpenThe same situation, a little older.
If the other side won’t take part OpenIt stops. Mediation needs both of you. You’ve paid nothing.1 SettledIt goes ahead without them, and you may get a judgment by default.3 OpenNothing changes.
What you can still do afterward SettledAnything. Court is still open if mediation doesn’t settle it.4 SettledVery little. Appeals are narrow and cost more.3 OpenAnything, though some claims have filing deadlines.5

A sliding scale, with every term on the table.

Each side pays by its own household income, before tax. You tell us your band; we don’t ask for pay stubs. Neither side sees the other’s band.1

Your household income, per year
What the dispute is about

Fee statement Schedule v4 · from March 1, 2026

$80

Band C, tenant and landlord: $80 for the whole case, one session.

4 hours × $20 an hour = $80

  • SettledBand C rate: $20 an hour, per person.
  • SettledHours: a 3-hour session and a 1-hour document check.
  • SettledIncluded: the first call, the letter, the typed sheet and the six-week call.
  • SettledCap: nobody pays more than $300 for one case, however many sessions.
  • SettledIf they say no to mediation, you pay nothing. You pay after the session, never before.
  • OpenA second session, only if you both ask: 3 hours × $20 = $60, making $140 in all.
  • OpenThe other side pays by their own band, which you won’t see.
  • OpenCancel with under 48 hours’ notice: half the fee, waived for illness or caregiving.
See the whole schedule
The whole schedule. Every fee, per person, for one session and its document check. Band A is paid for by the Brindlemoor Community Fund.
BandNeighbors 3 hoursTenant and landlord 4 hoursSmall business 5 hours
A under $30k $0/hr$0$0$0
B $30–50k $10/hr$30$40$50
C $50–75k $20/hr$60$80$100
D $75–110k $35/hr$105$140$175
E $110k+ $50/hr$150$200$250

Eight ground rules. They don’t change from case to case.

We read them aloud at the start of every session, and both of you get a printed copy. This is the full text.4

  1. It’s voluntary.

    Either of you can stop at any point. Stopping is never held against you.

  2. We don’t decide.

    The mediator runs the process. The outcome belongs to the two of you.

  3. What’s said stays here.

    With two exceptions: a risk of serious harm to someone, or a crime the law requires us to report. We tell you before we act.

  4. No legal advice.

    We tell you when you should get some, and where it’s free.

  5. Nothing binds until you both sign.

    A signed sheet is a contract only if it says so, in a clause you both initial.

  6. Equal terms.

    The same time to speak, the same chair, the same copy of every page.

  7. We keep little, briefly.

    The signed sheet and your contact details, for two years. Then we destroy them.

  8. You can complain.

    Write to the practice lead. You’ll get a written answer within 14 days.

14 Kestrel Row. Two rooms, two doors and a kettle.

A street-level office by the Lathe footbridge. You arrive ten minutes apart and wait in different rooms, so you never share a hallway before you’re ready.

Street map around 14 Kestrel Row, Brindlemoor Kestrel Row runs east to west above Wendle Road. The office is at number 14, near the Lathe footbridge. The bus stop for routes 7 and 12 is on Wendle Road, a four-minute walk away, and the Cooperage Yard parking lot is on Cooperage Lane, two minutes away. P 7 KESTREL ROW WENDLE ROAD COOPERAGE LANE Lathe River footbridge No. 14 Stop: routes 7 and 12 4 min on foot Cooperage Yard N
Who you’ll meet

Ines Calloway takes landlord-tenant and neighbor cases. She will ask you to say what you need before what you want.

Dele Marsh takes business cases and reads the paperwork before you arrive, so nobody has to read a contract aloud.

Address
Proofline Mediation
14 Kestrel Row, Brindlemoor
Getting here
Buses 7 and 12 to Wendle Road, then four minutes on foot. Cooperage Yard parking lot is two minutes away and free after 6 pm.
Access
No steps from the sidewalk. An accessible restroom, and a hearing loop in both rooms. Interpreters are free; ask when you book.
Online
Any session can happen on video instead, for the same fee. The sheet is shared on screen as it’s written.
Office hours
Monday–Thursday9 am–7 pm
Friday9 am–4 pm
Saturday, sessions only10 am–1 pm
SundayClosed

Questions people ask on the first call.

Not here? Call 555-0111 and ask. The call is free and it commits you to nothing.

Do I need a lawyer?

No. Many people come without one. If a lawyer would help, we’ll say so on the first call and tell you where advice is free. You can bring advice you’ve had to the session.

What if the other side says no?

Then it stops. We don’t chase, and you pay nothing. We’ll talk you through the other routes, including court.

Is the agreement legally binding?

Only if you both want it to be. The sheet says so in a clause you both initial. Without that clause it’s a written record of what you agreed, which is still useful.

I’m in band A. What’s the catch?

There isn’t one. The Brindlemoor Community Fund pays for band A sessions, and nobody asks you to prove your income.

Can I bring someone?

A friend or relative can wait with you in your private room. They can sit at the table only if the other side agrees. An interpreter can always come, and costs you nothing.

What’s your success rate?

We don’t publish one. A rate would reward us for getting signatures, and an agreement signed under pressure tends not to hold.

Can we do it online?

Yes, on video, for the same fee. Each of you gets a private breakout room, and the sheet is on screen as it’s written.

Book a free first call.

Twenty minutes, by phone, at a time that works for you. We don’t contact the other side until you say so.

  1. We call you within two business days.
  2. You tell us what happened. We tell you your fee.
  3. You decide whether we write to the other side.

Rather talk now? 555-0111 hello@proofline.example

Best time to call

We use these details only to call you back, and delete them after 30 days if you don’t go ahead.

Sources for the numbered claims on this page

  1. Proofline fee schedule, version 4, in effect from March 1, 2026. Printed in full in section 04.
  2. Proofline session calendar. Joint sessions open four weeks ahead, Monday through Saturday.
  3. Wendle County Small Claims Court, Small claims: fees, timelines and collecting a judgment, guide SC-4, 2026 edition. Figures as printed; they change each July.
  4. Proofline ground rules, version 2, printed in full in section 05, and the confidentiality clause on every sheet.
  5. Wendle Valley Legal Aid Center, Filing deadlines for claims, fact sheet 9. Read it before waiting on anything that involves money.

Page checked against every source on September 1, 2026.