Now two offices: Walnut Creek (925) 934-1699 Martinez (925) 228-5232 Mediation vs. Trial
“One settlement is worth three good trials.” Honorable Vincent R. Smith, Judge (deceased) Saskatchewan, Canada
This is what my grandfather said to me when I first decided to become a lawyer. He died before I graduated from high school. I never forgot his sage words. After thirty years as a trial lawyer, I truly believe that mediation effectively serves the interests of all parties to a dispute. It is my turn now to devote my experience and background to helping others resolve their disputes.
Mediation is by definition a process by which parties to a dispute come together voluntarily to talk and work out a settlement. So why is it disputes end up in court anyway. Why can’t the parties just get together and talk. Simply said, they can’t. Emotional reasons. Societal reasons. Unreasonable expectations. Whatever the reason, a dispute arises because one person thinks someone else hurt them or took advantage of them. And it is real hard to pick up the phone and call someone in a diplomatic voice, and say “Let’s talk.” But it is real easy to get a matter into mediation. Then you have a neutral referee. Believe me, closure is the best part of any deal or dispute.
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