The Relational Mediation Approach

My approach to mediation is really the culmination of a 40 year career as a personal injury attorney, a childhood spent learning from my father, who was a natural mediator in our family and community, and a lifetime of seeking how to maintain more peace, joy and freedom in my career and life.

I understand attorneys and adjusters quite well and have a great respect for the work they do. My passion is helping you reduce your caseload, get to a resolution that you and your clients are excited about in less time and with less frustration, recover a greater level of bandwidth to put into your cases that do need to go to trial, and even perhaps gain a deeper level of peace and freedom in your career and life.

The Relational Mediation Approach utilizes 3 steps for helping you resolve cases with success.

The first step is to Build the Relationship.

I begin with a private pre-mediation meeting for each attorney or adjuster separately, where we meet via Zoom and get to know each other. I strongly feel that a big part of my success in mediation comes from this step where I get to know you, what’s important to you, and what your concerns are regarding the case, all of which is kept confidential unless you state there are certain aspects you want me to share. The better I know you and your desires and concerns, the better I can help advocate for the best possible resolution that you and your client are excited about and proud of.

The second step is what I call Personalized Preparation.

No two cases are alike, so preparing for the case is a very personalized process. After doing a deep dive review of all of the case materials from the court and from both attorneys, I first look for the points of common ground. So much time is wasted in trial trying to find the issues that are causing real friction and actually need to be discussed. By finding the points of common ground where there is already a measure of agreement between both parties, we can start the mediation off by establishing the matters that don’t even need much discussion and can be moved out of the way, potentially reducing mediation time up to 50%, which saves you money and also a lot of unnecessary conversation and frustration. Then, I look for the important issues that need to be discussed, or the points of friction. After considering all of the potential points of friction, the nuances of the overall case, each party’s desires and concerns, and even any delicate personal dynamics, I then develop a customized format for the mediation to create an environment for the smoothest and most successful mediation possible where each side gets the best possible outcome.

The third and final step is to Resolve with Success.

I truly believe that the only one working hard in a mediation should be the mediator. At the mediation, I begin by facilitating the personalized approach I prepared beforehand. Typically, we address any areas of common ground toward the beginning, which offers an immediate sense of relief and satisfaction that some issues are already settled. As we continue forward with addressing the points of friction, I make any necessary adjustments along the way to ke my ep the mediation flowing smoothly and headed toward a successful settlement. My goal is to get another case off your back and help you get a result that you are proud of and that your client is happy with, and ultimately, provide you with a positive experience that makes your job a happier and more peaceful endeavor.

To see if we may be a great fit, please schedule a complementary connect call. I look forward to meeting you.