Mediation is a private process for resolving disputes by which an independent mediator assists the parties in reaching a mutually satisfactory settlement. While the courts can require that some cases go to mediation, the process remains voluntary in that the parties are not required to come to an agreement.
Issues That are Typically Mediated
When a lawsuit is filed, it is common for courts to require the parties to engage in some form of informal dispute resolution to attempt to settle their case. The types of cases that are typically mediated include disputes involving personal injuries, business transactions, real estate, insurance, construction, breach of contract, as well as family law and custody disputes, to name a few. It should be noted that a case does not have to be in the court system or in litigation for mediation to be utilized or to be effective. Informal disputes between businesses, neighbors, or among people within a workplace could also benefit from voluntary mediation even without being in a lawsuit.
The Role of the Mediator
Mediators are typically attorneys and retired judges. The mediator will not decide the outcome of the case. The mediator is neutral, impartial and does not choose one side’s position over the other. The mediator’s job is to help the parties resolve their issues through a process that encourages each side to air their dispute, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and to address potential solutions to the problem that will be satisfactory to all sides. The primary goal of a mediation is for all parties to work out a solution they can live with. Nothing will be decided unless both parties agree to it. The mediator will assess the case, highlight the strengths and challenges of each side, point out the risk and expense associated with continuing with the dispute and having a trial, and the uncertainty of leaving it in the hands of a judge or a jury to decide the parties’ fate.
Typical Mediation Procedure
There are different methods for how mediations are conducted. Mediations often take place at a mediator’s office or at the office of one of the attorneys involved in the dispute. Many mediations that take place in the context of a lawsuit are conducted with the parties in separate rooms for the entire mediation. Each side presents a statement to the mediator about the dispute and how they would like it resolved. It is typical for the parties and their attorney to file written submissions to the mediator at least a week in advance of the mediation so that the mediator will be familiar with the issues involved in the dispute. The mediator will then go from one room to the other to discuss potential avenues for resolution with each party with the goal of reaching an agreement. The discussions the mediator has with each side in separate rooms are completely confidential and are not disclosed to the other side. If an agreement is reached, it will then be reduced to a written document that can be enforced in court. Mediations can last a few hours to a full day, or even longer, depending on the complexity of the issues and the number of parties involved.
Other styles of mediation involve the parties having a joint session where they are all in the same room for the entire mediation and the parties discuss potential ways to settle their issues with the mediator facilitating that discussion.
The Benefits of Mediation
Mediation has many benefits when compared to a dispute that works its way through the court system and all the way through a trial. These benefits include the following: (1) Everything said by the parties at mediation is confidential and is not admissible in court; (2) The parties can resolve their dispute privately without having to testify in open court; (3) The parties can avoid the costs of ongoing litigation expense and trial; (4) The parties have total control over the outcome of their own dispute, without having to take the risk of presenting their issues to a judge or jury who will ultimately decide the parties’ fate; and (5) Mediation can be conducted even before a lawsuit is filed, which can significantly shorten the timeframe in which the parties can resolve their dispute.
Attorney Richard H. Fuller at Anderson O’Brien not only represents parties at mediations, but he also conducts mediations as part of his civil litigation practice. If you have any questions about mediations, please do not hesitate to contact him.