| The purpose of mediation is to help two parties | | | | only a few hours, days or weeks, and cost up to a |
| resolve their dispute with a mutually acceptable | | | | few hundreds of dollars. Compare that with litigation, |
| agreement, with the assistance of a neutral mediator. | | | | which could take months or years and cost thousands |
| The reason why more and more people prefer to | | | | - or tens of thousands - of dollars. |
| resolve their dispute in mediation, rather than in court, is | | | | Control Over Agreement |
| that mediation offers them three unique benefits: it | | | | In mediation, the parties have total control over their |
| takes less time and money; the parties have control | | | | agreement: they decide what is fair and acceptable. In |
| over their agreement, and they can preserve their | | | | court, they can present their case - through evidence, |
| relationship. | | | | testimony, witnesses - but they have no control over |
| Less Time and Money | | | | the judge's final decision. |
| In court, both parties have to spend a considerable | | | | Preserving the Parties' RelationshipImagine a divorce |
| amount of time and money to prove to the judge that | | | | with children, a family business dispute, or a workplace |
| they are right, and the other party wrong. In mediation, | | | | dispute where supervisor and employee are still |
| they do not have to prove anything. From the | | | | working together. These are just a few examples of |
| mediator's perspective, both parties are right. All they | | | | cases in which the parties need not only to resolve |
| have to do is answering one question: How can their | | | | their dispute, but also to preserve their future |
| dispute be resolved now? | | | | relationship. And this is why they prefer to try and |
| As a result, settling a dispute in mediation is much | | | | reach a mutually acceptable agreement in mediation, |
| faster and cheaper than in court. Depending on the | | | | rather than to fight each other in court. |
| complexity of the parties' dispute, mediation may take | | | | |