With the continued backlog of cases mediation is even more so now than ever the best choice to find a resolution for your dispute. Get your dispute resolved now while you can’t go anywhere you can really concentrate on what’s important and what deserves your time and energy.
Northwest Mediation continues to use Zoom, Skype and FaceTime as well as the phone and emails to resolve disputes should we add we also do live in person mediation too! So please do not feel that you cannot contact us if you would like to mediate but wish to do so remotely.
We’re well into the seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness and with it for us at Johnson Towers this week came an additional surprise. A visitor in from the cold, and living somewhere in the eaves of the house. Small fury rodents are not that welcome inside but hunting it down and removing it has reminded me that it’s not what happens but how we react that matters. In this case calmly laying a few humane traps moving some storage boxes around and gently poking into corners has been much more useful than screaming “mouse!” and trying to smoke it out (as one colleague suggested).
It's a bit of a hangover from my CBT training I supposed but it’s also useful to remember in mediation that first knee jerk reactions are rarely helpful, mediation allows parties the time to consider their own reactions and actions and what possible ways they could find resolutions.
In Burkina Faso protestors are trying to get the most recent military junta (now in charge in the capital Ouagadougou) to work with mediators to return the country to civilian rule as swiftly as possible.
Mediators from the West African country block (ECOWAS) are trying to work with the military who took over in January led by Captain Ibrahim Traore to arrange elections.
The difficulty the mediators face is that ECOWAS tried a rather hard line approach “next door” with Mali and then had to reign their actions and sanctions back without any noticeable impact. As ever in a mediation the reality check of what happens if agreement is not reached only has teeth if there are genuinely repercussions (whether financial, moral, stress or time). Most clients recognise the reality of finding a settlement in mediation is cheaper, quicker and less stressful even those who stat the day saying they “want their day in court”. Hopefully ECOWAS and their mediators can find a way to restore civilian government.
Back in the family mediation world Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bundchen are considering mediation as their marriage is rumoured to be coming to an end.
Now even with my lack of interest in sports (outside of F1 in the 2000s) I know who Tom Brady is, not simply because he comes up as the next most likely sports player to feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but because someone considered to be one of (if not) the greatest American footballer of all time does occasionally crop up when I’m researching and reading round subjects. Gisele on the other hand I had no idea about but she’s a supermodel so I guess the definition of a power couple. And like all sensible couples (whether power or not) they appear to be considering mediation to resolve how they go their separate ways and deal with their accumulated fortunes.
I like to think I don’t pay attention to gossip but as this one relates to mediation I’m gibing myself a pass. I’ve dealt with couples who have multiple houses, businesses and what you might consider items of unique and intrinsic value and to a one they have found mediation by far and away the best way to resolve their difficulties. Call me, I work for non-power couples too!
Back to how we react, and the mental health and mediation cross over conference course (details available on the link) considered everything from how we best serve clients’ mental health needs to how we protect our own mental health (a subject regular reader will know is close to my heart).
Again knowing why and how we react is a topic for discussion and recognising when you or your client is reacting is just as important to find a way forward for everyone.
If you have $300 it’s worth looking into.
The three pillars of mediation remain it’s voluntary (except apparently when it won’t be anymore), it’s confidential, the mediator is independent, by using those pillars to support your work the parties keep control, save costs, save time and energy and reduce stress. Finally this one is mediation, mediator jointly appointed, areas of discussion agreed and intention to be bound by the outcome.
In person or via electronic media as we’ve said before choose to mediate early and resolve your issues effectively, timeously, and with less stress and costs than going to your solicitor so you can get out choose a different path, not quite the road less travelled but perhaps the path less adversarial. You have an interest in the outcome the sooner you get round the mediation table the quicker you can move forward and avoid the grilling a cross examination in court would put you through.
By having a deep and meaningful discussions with parties the mediator elicits what the true “red-lines” are and where there is the potential for compromise, it is with this structured period of reflection that the parties are then able to reach an accord.
The flexible nature of mediation and the possible outcomes make it an ideal way to resolve disputes in an ever-changing world and the open nature of discussions in mediation whilst remaining confidential allows all sides to engage fully in the process and understand the needs of all involved allowing parties to reach a conclusion which both sides can live with and move on.
There are so many situations which could have been resolved by early intervention of mediation it continues to surprise me the lengths the public will go to avoid referral.
Whether you need a mediator to help out with a construction matter in the Northwest, or council’s plans in Cheshire, a civil mediator in London, a commercial mediator in Manchester, a dispute resolution for your family in Liverpool, a neighbourhood mediation in Stockport, then our mediators at Northwest Mediation can help.
Mediation is cheaper, quicker and less stressful than running any case to court, it can help with any dispute whether it's an employment issue or the sale at an under value of a property, a fight with a neighbour, family issues, commercial disputes, civil mediation or inheritance, wills and probate arguments contact me at Northwest Mediation on 07931318347 or via email at ed.johnson@northwestmediation.co.uk
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