Conflict will always be with us—that’s a fact of life. When you’re embroiled in conflict, it’s easy to be consumed by emotion that’s disproportionate to the actual dispute. Mediation helps people, businesses, organizations and governmental entities to resolve conflict. Emotions almost always cloud judgment. One of the challenges of the mediator is to reduce the emotional volatility of the parties so everyone stays on the path to resolution. Parties who agree to mediation are able to take ownership of the conflict and are able to gain greater peace of mind.
Aside from the parties having the advantage of a private mediation forum, as well as the benefit of saving time and money, mediations can be scheduled much sooner than trial or arbitration dates. If time is an important factor, then mediation offers a speedy resolution of conflict. With mediation, it is also possible to create remedies that are innovative and not available in litigation or arbitration. The preservation of business or personal relationships has a better chance of succeeding through mediation than it would by engaging in litigation or arbitration.
There are many benefits of mediation including:
- The active participation of both parties gives them control over the outcome
- Both parties retain responsibility for the outcome
- Mediation has the potential of avoiding the time and expense that is associated with trial and arbitration
- Privacy is really important. Trials are public. Mediations are private
- Greater value is created for the parties when compared to other options such as trials and arbitration
- Mediation saves time, money and minimizes emotional distress
Benefits of Mediation