Mediation room vs deposition room: what is the difference?

What happens at a deposition

A deposition is testimony on the record. Everyone sits at one table: the witness, the court reporter, defending counsel and examining counsel, sometimes a videographer, an interpreter or a client representative. The room's job is to let the reporter hear every word and to keep the day running smoothly. Breaks are short, and when the defending attorney needs a private word with the witness, they need somewhere to go.

What happens at a mediation

A mediation is a negotiation run by a neutral mediator. It usually opens with everyone together, then splits into caucuses: each side in its own room while the mediator moves between them. Much of the day is spent apart, so each side needs a private room where it can talk freely, and the joint-session room may sit empty for hours.

Side by side

What each setup costs at Depo Pros

Same rooms, different combinations. Prices are computed from our published rates, with the half-day or full-day rate applied whenever it is cheaper:

There is a 2-hour minimum per room and no booking fee.

Choosing the joint-session room

For a mediation, size the joint-session room for everyone at once: each party, their counsel, any insurer representatives and the mediator. Two parties with two or three people each fit in a standard room for up to 8. With more parties or bigger teams, book a Large Deposition Room for up to 12.

Then add one Client Meeting Room (2–4 seats) per side as a caucus room, at the same building. If the mediator wants somewhere to work between sessions, add one more.

Booking tips

• Book every room at the same building so the mediator is moving between doors, not between addresses.
• Tell each side which room is theirs before the day starts.
• Book early if you need three or more caucus rooms; availability is per building. Online bookings are weekdays 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time.
• If the mediation might run long, the extra time is billed at the hourly rate, so you do not have to book a second day up front.

See mediation rooms for the buildings with a large room in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Can one room do both?

Yes, with the right additions. A Large Deposition Room works as a mediation joint-session room, and a standard Deposition Room can host a small two-party mediation. What turns a deposition booking into a mediation booking is the caucus rooms: without a private room for each side, the mediator ends up asking one party to wait in a hallway or a lobby while they talk to the other, which is uncomfortable for everyone and risks being overheard.

Going the other way, a mediation setup is more than a deposition needs. For a deposition, one Client Meeting Room is usually enough: defending counsel uses it to prepare the witness beforehand and to confer privately during breaks.

Who usually books the rooms

For a deposition, the noticing party normally arranges the room, because the location goes in the notice. For a mediation, practice varies: sometimes the mediator arranges the space, sometimes one of the parties does and the cost is split under the mediation agreement. Settle who books and who pays before anyone reserves rooms, so you do not end up with two bookings for the same day.

Whoever books, send every participant the same arrival and access instructions. Rooms are by appointment, and the instructions are what tell each side which floor and which room to go to.

Common mistakes

• Booking a single conference room for a mediation and discovering at 10 a.m. that there is nowhere for the second side to caucus.
• Booking a large room for a two-person deposition when a standard room would do; the extra space costs more and adds nothing.
• Putting the caucus rooms in a different building from the joint-session room.
• Forgetting the interpreter, insurer or client representative in the headcount.
• Not telling the reporter (for a deposition) or the mediator (for a mediation) the exact suite and floor.