As with any process, mediation is not for everyone. Some people can work out their terms without outside assistance, while others require legal and/or psychological support.
Your conflict may be family related such as divorce, parenting a teen or blending a family. It may be with your child’s teacher or sports coach. It could also be at work within a project team or with a difficult employee.
You have a dispute but you don’t know where to begin. You may want to hire a lawyer in case there is a battle, to ensure that you are not taken advantage of or just to make the other person ‘pay’. While, at the same time you want to keep your legal costs to a minimum, get a fair settlement and resolve issues efficiently in order to move on.
You may just have a communication problem and are unable to resolve it yourself.
Mediation will provide you with a cost effective and timely alternative to fighting your dispute out in court. It will provide you with a fair, safe and balanced process to create solutions.
In order for mediation to be effective the following ground rules must apply:
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All parties must be motivated to settle the issues
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All parties must be competent to identify their needs, interests and issues (If emotions are high you may need assistance in order to do this)
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All parties must understand their basic rights and responsible
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All parties must consent to mediation
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All parties must be willing to negotiate fairly and share information
There must not be significant power imbalances; such as violence, which would make it difficult or impossible to negotiate.
