Mediation offers disputants an opportunity to resolve their disagreements with the help of a neutral third party. Russians’ well-documented preference for informal problem-solving and their much-vaunted distrust of the courts would seem to portend great demand for mediation. In mid-2010, a law on mediation was passed that laid out the interplay between mediation and the courts. The law went into effect in 2011. Drawing on field work in 2011-12, this paper explores the legislative history of the law and delves into several of the more controversial provisions of the law. The paper closes with a discussion of why, in the months since the law has been in effect, demand has been minimal.