The term “mediation” refers to an informal, voluntary settlement process where the parties to a legal dispute agree on a neutral person (the mediator) to help them resolve their dispute. Mediation is a very effective way to resolve all sorts of legal disputes, from personal injury claims to businesses disputes and other claims. Most mediations are completed in about half a day, some may last a day.
Shortly before the mediation, our firm prepares a confidential pre-mediation evaluation of your case. We send this to the chosen mediator in the strictest privacy to allow the mediator to evaluate the strengths, (and, yes, the weaknesses) that our case might have. The mediator receives a similar confidential submission from the defendant. The mediator’s job is then to ask each side to evaluate its risk. The goal is to reach an acceptable settlement figure that will resolve the case fairly for all concerned.
In most cases the parties are able to reach a settlement. This saves tremendous amounts of money that might otherwise be spent on legal costs, expert witnesses, court costs, and other trial expenses. Our firm is highly skilled in participating in the mediation process. We have worked with dozens of mediators over the years, and can recommend an appropriate mediator for a particular case.
