Abstract: Mediation agreements must satisfy various legal tests drawn from general principles of contract law. In England there has been recent case law on this. The topics to be considered in this article are: (I) the courts and multi-tier dispute resolution clauses; (II) the need for a contractual commitment to mediate; (III) certainty: the mediation clause must clearly indicate the requirements of the mediation process; (IV) remedies to uphold mediation clauses; (V) remedial discretion; (VI) statutes invalidating contractual commitments to mediate or otherwise to oust the jurisdiction of (public) tribunals and courts; and (VII) the nature of the duty to consider and pursue mediation.