Mediation

What is mediation, you may ask.  Isn't it like arbitration?  The answer is no!  Mediation, like arbitration, is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process to resolve disputes between parties without resorting to litigation to determine the outcome in the courts.  In mediation (which is always a confidential process), unlike arbitration or litigation, the mediator does not act as a trier of fact as would an arbitrator, a judge, or a jury.  Rather the mediator acts as a facilitator to the parties who are seeking to resolve their dispute.  The mediator acts as a neutral party and identifies the interests of the parties that are important to each them and facilitates discussions, both in a group setting and in private with each of the parties involved, so that they, with the help and input of the mediator, can fully explore a resolution of their dispute which will meet their various goals and interests while crafting a resolution that they control and which is mutually agreeable to them.  The benefits to the parties are obvious as they exercise input and control of the process which they have mutually agreed is the best way to achieve a resolution of their dispute.