| The American legal system is overburdened with | | | | empowers them and allows what could be a very |
| lawsuits. Paralegals spent countless hours doing legal | | | | complicated litigious process to be a lot simpler, more |
| research, drafting documents, and interviewing clients in | | | | successful, and less cumbersome. Mediation |
| preparation for a trial. However, there is an emerging | | | | techniques can be employed to solve several different |
| movement that is challenging how we as a society | | | | types of disputes, including family matters such as |
| handle disputes, and it is formally termed Alternative | | | | divorce or child custody, owner/tenant or builder |
| Dispute Resolution (ADR). One of the most common | | | | homeowner problems, community disagreements, or |
| forms of ADR is mediation, where a neutral third party, | | | | disputes in the workplace.Mediation can also save time |
| termed a mediator, works with both sides of a dispute | | | | and money. For instance, in a divorce/child custody |
| to have them agree on their own terms, without | | | | case being settled by litigation, both sides might spend |
| someone else deciding what is best for them. As | | | | thousands of dollars in attorney fees. It might result in |
| more and more people choose this route over litigation, | | | | several court appearances and numerous phone calls |
| there is an increasing need for skilled mediators, and | | | | back and forth between their respective law firms. In |
| paralegals have a tremendous opportunity to fill this | | | | the end, a judge would decide the outcome and |
| void by utilizing their analytical abilities and undergoing | | | | essentially seal their fate, whether the terms were |
| formal training in mediation.Why enter the field of | | | | acceptable to them or not.A similar case handled |
| mediation? First of all, mediation works. Given the | | | | through mediation, however, can often be worked out |
| opportunity and the means to form their own solutions | | | | through several sessions with a mediator, at a cost |
| to their problems, many disputants find that it | | | | much more reasonable than if the case were litigated. |