On 1 January 2011, the Federal Law on Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedure with the participation of an Intermediary (193-FZ) came into force in Russia. The law was promulgated on 30 July 2010 following several years of debate regarding the need for ADR in the Russian justice system. 193-FZ regulates the mediation procedure in disputes arising from civil law matters, including business and commercial activities, as well as disputes arising out of employment and family law matters.
Russia has already seen a number of attempts to establish a clear basis for mediation proceedings with several draft laws having been prepared from 2006 onwards. Consideration of previous drafts was halted with the submission of drafts of the new laws.