SCMA Annual Conference
June 13
A field guide for the working mediator

Building a modern mediation practice

How to scale from solo practitioner to market leader through data-driven marketing and technology.

AW
Adam Wannon
Scale Mediation
Scale Mediation
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The argument

A booked-out practice is not luck. It is three levers, pulled in order.

01/
Get found
The three channels that actually work: a website built to book, LinkedIn run as a system, and pro bono treated as acquisition.
02/
Scale
From first booking to predictable revenue: the repeat-booking funnel and the path to booked-out status.
03/
Operationalize
Tools that remove friction from your workflow, so the hours go into cases instead of admin.
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№ 01

How to get found

The three channels that actually work: your website, LinkedIn, and pro bono.

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01 · Get foundThe website

What a great website looks like

richardsadr.com
a.

Clean, modern design

A site that signals the same precision the mediator brings to the room.

richardsadr.com/practice-areas
b.

Expertise, explained

Practice areas stated clearly, so counsel knows the fit in seconds.

richardsadr.com/book-mediation
c.

Direct booking

Live availability and one-click scheduling. No phone tag, no friction.

Site shown · richardsadr.com, designed and built by Scale Mediation
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01 · Get foundLinkedIn, run as a system

Three levers move the needle

~1,000
Qualified touchpoints per month

This is how you become the mediator they think of first.

Posting
Two posts a week. Real cases, real lessons, written for the attorneys you want to hire you.
104
touchpoints / year
Engagement
Twenty thoughtful comments a week puts you in the feeds of five hundred plus attorneys every month.
500+
attorney feeds / month
Connections
Ten personalized requests a week. A direct, compounding pipeline of warm introductions.
520
warm intros / year
Roughly one hour of focused effort per day
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01 · Get foundSpeaking & pro bono

Visibility compounds

“Visibility is a currency. Spend it generously early, and it compounds.”

Every panel, every pro bono case, every speaking slot is a credibility signal to attorneys with cases to place.
Where attorneys actually source mediators
MVP / LASC Resolve LA MCLA SF Superior Probate OC ADR C.D. Cal. ADR CAMP Community Boards BAM DRPA centers

Your presence on these panels is your presence in their minds when the next case needs a neutral.

Pro bono is not charity. It is your cheapest customer-acquisition channel, and the data proves it.

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№ 02

How to scale

From first booking to predictable revenue: what our platform data says about where the money actually is.

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02 · ScaleAre pro bono cases worth it

The data says yes

13%
of pro bono matters convert into paying clients. That is 1 in every 7.7 cases, the most efficient acquisition channel we measure.
100 pro bono matters for every 100 matters you serve 100% 13 paying clients each one an audition for the third case 13 IN EVERY 100 one new client every 7.7 matters 0% 13% 50% 100% Drawn to scale · platform data 2026 YTD: 363 matters, 48 paying clients
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02 · ScaleThe repeat-booking funnel

Reach case three, and retention becomes nearly automatic

17% 1st → 2nd case 26% 2nd → 3rd case 71% 3rd → 4th case + +9 pts +45 pts

Market for the third case, not the first.

Past case three, firms almost never leave. The first two cases are the audition. The third is the relationship.

Source · Scale Mediation platform data
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02 · ScaleConcentration of value

76% of your business comes from 20% of firms

CLIENT FIRMS CASES 20% 80% 76% 24% 3.8× OVER-INDEXED core firms vs the rest Top 20% of firms, by case volume All cases on platform, 2026 YTD
a.

Concentrate your effort

Find and serve 10 to 15 core firms exceptionally well. They generate three quarters of your business.

b.

Pitch firms, not lawyers

One partner relationship at a core firm becomes multiple cases over time.

c.

Let scarcity drive demand

Booked out by your core firms is the strongest signal of quality there is. It creates urgency.

The goal is not to befriend every attorney in town. It is to find the 10 to 15 firms that will give you the majority of your work.

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№ 03

Let me show you the tool we built

Booking, case management, follow-up. The entire workflow with the busywork removed, so faster booking means more cases and clearer workflow means better outcomes.

Live demo
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03 · OperationalizePricing

Free for mediators. The parties pay.

Self-serve
$250per party, paid by the parties
FOR PRACTICES AT 5 TO 20 CASES / MONTH
Counsel books directly from your live calendar. Intake, reminders, and documents run themselves. You focus on cases, not admin.
Concierge
$500per party, paid by the parties
FOR HIGH-VOLUME PRACTICES, 20+ CASES / MONTH
We handle everything except the mediation. Scheduling, billing, follow-up, the works. You scale without hiring.

The model aligns with your growth stage. As your practice scales, the platform scales with you.

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One thing to remember

Market for the third case.

Everything else is how you get there.

adam.scalemediation.com
adam.scalemediation.com · Book a call LinkedIn · Adam Wannon
Thank you · SCMA · June 13
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