Most people attend mediation, fully engaged and committed to the process, hoping to resolve a matter. However, there are some who attend mediation with no real desire to settle, despite their outward claims. I had such a mediation the other day. It was court-ordered on the eve of trial. The [Read More]
Recently, my husband and I met a friend for dinner. During dinner, she noted that she had discovered a book, “How To Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, asking me if I had ever read it. I mentioned I had heard of it but had not read it. [Read More]
Recently, I conducted a mediation which from the moment I introduced myself, I knew it would not settle. Certain signs gave it away. The first sign was that the plaintiff was “too busy” to attend. And mind you- this is a mediation via zoom (or even by telephone!) According to [Read More]
The Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA) recently held its annual conference (virtually). The closing plenary remarks were delivered by Randy Lowry- the first president and a founding member of SCMA. The theme of the conference was ‘the magic of mediation” or how a few hours of mediation can work magic [Read More]
One value in being a mediator is learning how to think outside the box: to brainstorm. I learned long ago that any problem usually has more than one resolution. So… this is all about Buddy – part 2. Needless to say, Buddy took awhile to recover from the anti-anxiety medicine [Read More]
“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” — Calvin Coolidge I start this blog with this quote because the Christmas season tends to change our perspective [Read More]
Within the last week, I have read two different articles about the “truth”. The first, a blog posted on Kluwer Mediation Blog on February 8, 2018 entitled, “The Map is not the territory” by Charlie Woods highlights the notion that each of us has a different perception when looking at [Read More]
Often, in mediation, I suggest to a party that she look at the issue from the viewpoint of her adversary, i.e., the person sitting in the other room. I do this in an effort to have that party become more open in finding a solution to the dispute; to realize [Read More]
