In the case of minor legal disputes or everyday trivial matters, it is not always necessary to go to court. Arbitration offices offer a cost-effective and simple way to resolve disputes. They focus on handling everyday civil law disputes, such as neighborhood and rental disputes or disputes over monetary claims, etc. For minor criminal offenses—such as trespassing, insults, minor bodily injury, or property damage—there is even a legal requirement to first contact the arbitration office to attempt to resolve the dispute. Only if the attempt at mediation has been unsuccessful may a private criminal complaint be filed with the competent criminal court.

The volunteer mediators, who are formally appointed by the competent local court, live in the municipality where the Mediation Office is located and are often familiar with the personal circumstances underlying a dispute. As a result, they frequently have better suggestions for resolving the dispute than a court could offer using its procedural tools.