A lesson learned!

Last week, I conducted a lemon law mediation which highlighted a very valuable lesson. People need to be heard, acknowledged, and told that what they are saying has merit. The plaintiff leased a luxury automobile. At one point, she brought it into the dealership after the check engine light came [Read More]

By |March 25th, 2022|Actual Mediations|

Overriding Self-determination

I will never understand why people go to mediation (and pay lots of money to a mediator) when they are not  prepared to settle. I had another one of those mediations recently that went nowhere even before it started. I knew something was amiss when I did not receive any [Read More]

By |October 29th, 2021|Actual Mediations|

Court Ordered Mediation and Informed Consent.

Standard I of the Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators is entitled "Self-Determination" and admonishes us that "a mediator shall conduct a mediation on the principle of party self-determination." It then defines "self-determination" as" …the act of coming to a voluntary uncoerced decision in which each party makes free and [Read More]

By |October 22nd, 2021|Actual Mediations|

A Conflict of Interest

Mediators are supposed to avoid conflicts of interest. According to Standard III of the Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators (2005): …[a] conflict of interest can arise from involvement by a mediator with the subject matter of the dispute or from any relationship between the mediator with the subject matter [Read More]

By |September 17th, 2021|Actual Mediations|