A caucus is a private and confidential meeting of one of the parties to the dispute with the mediator or their advisor, with the intention being to discuss the different viable options for a satisfactory resolution of the dispute. It is separate and distinct from the rest of the mediation process and it was developed to provide an opportunity to the parties to gain factual clarity, reflect on their goals, review their strategies, develop new ideas, etc.  Caucuses may be initiated by a party, their advisor or the mediator and they may be held at various stages during the mediation process.

The participants of the mediation generally tend to have different sets of goals for each stage, which are as follows: 

𝟏. 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The general focus is on building trust and rapport with each other and gaining a better understanding of the dispute in question, which may include undisclosed confidential information, underlying interests, strengths and weaknesses of the parties, etc. 

𝟐. 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The caucus aims to create and sustain momentum towards the settlement of the dispute, and the mediator might take on a more active role during the same, if necessary. 

𝟑. 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞: The caucus endeavours to resolve all disagreements and to close the gap between the disputing parties. It tends to be shorter as compared to the caucuses in the aforementioned stages and, usually, consists primarily of bargaining until a favourable agreement is reached.