# Insurance for mediators and certified mediators working in Germany

> Mediators do not decide, but they guide decisions about homes, companies, maintenance and children. If something goes wrong, for example a gap in the final agreement or confidential information leaking out, a financial loss claim follows quickly. This page is for English speaking mediators working in Germany and explains what the German Mediation Act requires, which insurance makes sense and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-mediator.php  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## How can a mediator be liable when the parties make the decisions?

The parties decide, but you run the process. If you fail to disclose circumstances that affect your neutrality, pass on confidential information, or record an agreement that leaves out an important point, you can face a damages claim. These are pure financial losses that ordinary public liability does not cover. That is what professional indemnity insurance is for.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** The German Mediation Act (Mediationsgesetz) does not require liability insurance. It sets duties of disclosure (§ 3), confidentiality (§ 4) and training (§ 5)
- **Certified mediator:** Only after training under the ordinance: at least 130 hours of attendance and five supervised mediations, then at least 40 hours of further training every four years
- **Biggest risk:** Financial losses of the parties, for example from a flawed final agreement or a breach of confidentiality
- **Basic cover from:** about €150 a year for professional indemnity with a €250,000 limit, a guide figure from our quoting work
- **Often forgotten:** If you also work as a lawyer, tax adviser or coach, check that your existing policy expressly includes mediation

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **A gap in the agreement:** After a separation mediation, the record says nothing about the house. One party later claims the resulting loss from you.
- **Breach of confidentiality:** A detail from a business mediation reaches a trading partner. § 4 of the Mediation Act obliges you to keep it confidential.
- **Allegation of bias:** A party learns afterwards that someone in your shared office previously advised the other side. The mediation is challenged.
- **Data and documents:** Hacked email accounts, lost laptops or minutes sent to the wrong person, full of sensitive family and company data.
- **Fee disputes:** After a failed mediation neither party wants to pay. A dispute over a few thousand euros costs time and a lawyer.
- **Accidents on your premises:** A party trips on the stairs to your mediation room. That is bodily injury, not a financial loss.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 2, Theft 1, Cyber 4, Downtime 3, Health 1

## The insurance you need

- **Professional indemnity** (Essential): Professional indemnity covers claims by the parties for errors in the process, the minutes and the final agreement, and defends unjustified ones. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-professional-indemnity.php
- **Business liability** (Strongly advised): For injury and property damage in your rooms or at on site sessions, often available as an add on to professional indemnity. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): Mediators hold highly sensitive data. Cyber cover pays for forensics, recovery and help with data breaches. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): For fee disputes, disputes with landlords and defending allegations outside liability cover. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Business contents** (Depends on the business): Replaces furniture, equipment and files after fire, water damage or burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): For laptop, tablet and conferencing equipment, including when you travel to sessions. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Occupational disability** (Depends on the business): If you work alone, you earn nothing when your health fails, especially in emotionally demanding cases. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php

## What it costs: example prices

Professional indemnity is the main item. The premium depends on the limit, turnover and focus: business mediations with high values cost more than family or neighbourhood mediation.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional indemnity | Mediator, family and neighbourhood cases, €250,000 limit | about €150 to €300 a year |
| Professional indemnity | Business mediator, €1 million limit, turnover up to €150,000 | about €400 to €900 a year |
| Business liability | Mediation practice with its own room, as an add on | about €60 to €150 a year |
| Cyber insurance | Sole practice, €250,000 sum insured | about €250 to €500 a year |
| Business legal expenses | Self employed mediator with contract and criminal legal expenses | about €300 to €600 a year |

For comparison: Professional indemnity for a family mediator costs about as much per year as two mediation sessions.

_All values are guide figures from our quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax, as of October 2026. The linked sources support the legal statements on this page, not the prices._

- [Gesetze im Internet: Mediationsgesetz (Mediation Act)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/mediationsg/BJNR157710012.html)
- [Gesetze im Internet: ordinance on training certified mediators](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/zmediatausbv/BJNR199400016.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Starter** (Mediator working part time or just starting, without own rooms): Professional indemnity, Cyber insurance. Together: about €400 to €800 a year
- **Practice** (Full time mediation with own premises): Professional indemnity, Business liability, Cyber insurance, Business legal expenses, Business contents. Together: about €900 to €1,800 a year
- **Business** (Business mediation with high values and a team): Professional indemnity, Business liability, Cyber insurance, Business legal expenses, Electronic equipment. Together: individual, usually from about €1,800 a year

## The worst day in mediation

Six things mediators really experience, here all on one Tuesday. Tap through and see who pays.

- 08:45: A lawyer calls: the separation agreement from your mediation does not deal with the couple's joint loan. (€18,000, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 10:30: A party slips on the wet floor in your hallway and breaks a wrist. (€6,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 12:15: A phishing link exposes your email account, including confidential minutes. (€7,500, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 14:00: After a failed business mediation, the company refuses to pay your fee. (€3,000, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 16:20: Your laptop falls off the table at an on site session; screen and board are broken. (€1,400, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 18:00: A water pipe bursts in the wall above your office. Files, furniture and carpet are soaked. (€5,500, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €41,400

## Practical tips from your broker

- Check that your professional indemnity names mediation as an activity, especially if you are mainly insured for another profession.
- Choose the limit to match the values at stake. For business and inheritance mediation, €250,000 is often not enough.
- Record your disclosure under § 3 of the Mediation Act and the parties' consent in writing.
- Tell the parties how far confidentiality extends, as § 4 requires, and document it.
- Send minutes encrypted and check recipients twice.
- Have agreements with legal consequences reviewed by the parties' lawyers before they sign.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We know indemnity wordings:** Activity description, exclusions, run off cover: this is where offers differ. As brokers we put them side by side.
- **Several professions, one cover:** Many mediators also work as lawyers, coaches or consultants. We make sure every activity is covered without gaps.
- **Practice and private together:** Liability, cyber, legal expenses and your own provision handled together, with one contact person, in English or German.
- **Family business since 1989:** Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker. Free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Is liability insurance compulsory for mediators in Germany?

The Mediation Act does not require liability insurance. You can still be liable, for example for breaching disclosure or confidentiality duties or for errors in the final agreement.

### Who may call themselves a certified mediator?

Only someone who has completed training under the ordinance: at least 130 hours of attendance and five supervised mediations within three years after the course. After that, at least 40 hours of further training are needed every four years.

### Why is ordinary public liability not enough?

It covers bodily injury and property damage. The typical loss in mediation is a pure financial loss, which needs professional indemnity cover.

### What does mediator insurance cost?

Professional indemnity with a €250,000 limit starts at about €150 a year. For business mediation with a €1 million limit, €400 to €900 is common, as guide figures.

### As a lawyer, am I already covered for mediation?

Often, but not always. Check that your policy includes mediation as an activity and that the limit suits the values involved.

### What about online mediation?

The same duties apply. Also use secure conferencing software, because a data breach directly affects confidentiality. Cyber cover helps with the consequences.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-mediator.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.