Many people have gone through, or at least heard of, divorce mediation. In that process, parties try to reach agreement about the division of property, spousal and child support, custody and visitation. Of course it doesn’t solve everything. All of these ideas are fairly familiar.
Mediation and arbitration are both found within the alternative dispute resolution sphere because they offer ways to resolve disputes outside of the traditional litigation process. However, the procedures are very different. Each system presents its own benefits and challenges, and neither system is truly superior to the other. Understanding how and when to use each …
Many ideas in the world are expressed as binaries—good and bad, black and white, truth and lie. Yet many concepts expressed in binaries often have a variety of options in the middle, creating a spectrum. Learning to be comfortable with the spectrum is an important part of development; however, in certain situations, people will hold …
As politics and other issues drive Americans further apart, it is commonplace to see polarization in communication in messaging online and in other sources. Polarization encourages both those without a position to pick one and those with a position to commit to a more extreme version of the position. The prevalence of polarization has increasingly …
Communication is an important part of any workplace or group setting, and a key component of reaching agreements. When communication is healthy, a workplace or group can be productive and reach its objective. When communication breaks down, other aspects of the workplace begin to fall apart as well. In some cases, communication breaks down as …
Mediation is a dynamic process. This can mean stepping back, leaning out, and adopting a process that empowers the parties to set their own agenda and seek outcomes that may greatly vary from the objectives set forth in the briefs by lawyers who are trained as advocates more than problem-solvers. In disputes where distributive bargaining …
The vast majority of legal disputes aren’t ended due to a trial. But, at some point, the parties reach a mutually agreeable compromise, and the dispute is resolved. Mediation is one way to help parties reach an agreement if they can’t do it themselves. Attorney Richard Shore, writing in Forbes, has these ideas to help increase …
In response to my question, “Do you use “BATNA” wrong?,” I plead guilty with an explanation. With the patient teaching of my friends, Hiro Aragaki and Sanda Kaufman, I have come to see the error of my ways. I was concerned because BATNA – the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement – has become part of the vernacular, …
What is Mediation? There are many benefits to mediation, including spiritual and emotional, according to an article written by Dr. Denisha Shah. Attorneys who use the mediation process may focus on the more immediate benefits (ideally, a case settles and a file closes). Still, there are more extensive benefits that all participants may benefit from. …
I’ve been doing appellate mediation since the program began, and I’ve been genuinely surprised by the success rate. At the program’s inception, I anticipated a significantly lower success rate than I’ve had with non-appellate mediations — but it’s about 70%, which isn’t much lower than my rate for other matters. While my approach to conducting …
