Liberal Democrat peers are to meet for the first time since the row over Lord Rennard's future with the party began.
Lord Rennard had his party membership temporarily suspended after he refused to apologise over claims he sexually harassed female party members.
The peer, who has denied the claims, has threatened to take legal action over his suspension.
It comes as the Women Liberal Democrats group urged Nick Clegg to appoint a mediator to help resolve the row.
Lord Rennard has been suspended for 14 weeks while the Lib Dems investigate whether he has brought the party into disrepute by refusing to apologise for causing distress to a number of women.
He insists he has done nothing wrong and is expected to seek a court order within days to try to halt disciplinary proceedings against him.
Some senior peers, including former leader Lord Steel, have called for Lord Rennard to be re-instated as a first step to resolving the dispute.
Alison Smith, one of the women who has accused the peer of making unwanted sexual advances and touching them inappropriately, said she was "open" to some form of mediation but only if the Lib Dem peer was willing to confront his actions.
'Enough is enough'"Chris Rennard would need to come to the table within an open mind and, at the moment, he does not seem to be in that mindset," the former activist, who is now a lecturer at Oxford University, told BBC Radio 4's Today.
- Chris Rennard, 53, has worked for the Lib Dems since his student days in Liverpool
- He first gained attention as a local activist and then party agent for former MP David Alton, helping him win successive election victories in the city in 1979 and 1983
- He then became campaigns and election director for the whole party, overseeing a host of by-election victories between 1989 and 2003 as the Lib Dems grew in size
- He was chief executive between 2003 and 2009, serving three leaders Charles Kennedy, Sir Menzies Campbell and Nick Clegg
- He stepped down in 2009 citing ill health and the difficulties of managing a diabetic condition
- He became a peer in 1999
She suggested the peer needed to understand his actions were an abuse of power and "why it matters that he (Lord Rennard) had control over women's careers when he was making advances on people".
She added: "We would not have to start with an apology but what is at stake here for me is the principle of what is acceptable behaviour in the workplace."
The reaction of some Lib Dems, she suggested, seemed to be "just a hand down the back of the dress, what are the girlies worrying about".
"The issue is, of course, women in the 21st century are saying enough is enough and I think that is one of the reasons why this story has resonated so much."
The BBC understands Lord Rennard has instructed a senior QC to advise him on the lawfulness of the party's action in suspending him following the allegations.
The party's original internal investigation, led by senior barrister Alistair Webster QC, concluded the claims against Lord Rennard by four women could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt.
But it also said the evidence of the women who lodged complaints was "broadly credible" and urged the peer to apologise.
'Right judgement'Party leader Mr Clegg has said it was "the right judgement" for him to demand an apology from Lord Rennard.
Lord Rennard has expressed concerns that an apology would be an admission of guilt and make him liable to potential legal proceedings by his accusers.
In a further development, the party's president Tim Farron has denied claims by allies of Lord Rennard that he had attempted to block mediation.
Mr Farron said talks were continuing between senior figures in the party and in the Lords and said it was important that the peer complied with the wishes of the party and its leader Mr Clegg.
Lib Dem sources told the BBC that legal action could lead "to a blood bath, the like of which the party has not seen before".
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