Mediation
Mediation is a process that attempts to help parties in a disagreement to hear one another, minimise the harm that can come from disagreement, and find a way of preventing the areas of disagreement from interfering with the process of seeking a compromise or mutually agreed outcome.
Benefits
There are key benefits to why mediation is preferable to litigation:
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Cost – the mediation process generally takes much less time than moving a case through standard legal channels.
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Confidentiality – litigation in the courts is a matter of public record, however, mediation remains strictly confidential, whether the dispute settles or not.
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Control – mediation increases the control the parties have over the resolution, which is different to a court case where a judge or jury provides the solution. Mediation is more likely to produce results that are mutually agreeable for the participants.
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Compliance – because the result is attained by the parties working together and is mutually agreeable, compliance with the mediated agreement is usually high.
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Support – mediators are trained in working with difficult situations. The mediator acts as a neutral facilitator and guides the parties through the process. The mediator helps the parties think “outside the box” for possible solutions to the dispute, broadening the range of possible solutions that would not be available in formal litigation.
Accredited Mediator
Mark Addison is an accredited Mediator with the National Mediation Accreditation Society (NMAS), and has assisted many parties in resolving a variety of disputes, including family property distributions; shareholder disputes; personal injury claims, and contractual disputes.