With the limited access to courts and lawyers 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 uses Zoom, Skype and FaceTime as well as the phone and emails to resolve disputes so please do not feel that you cannot contact us as there can be no physical meeting.
For Northwest Mediation it’s been another week of Zoom interaction with colleagues at Midlands Dove Mediation and then today with CIArb crystal ball gazing by Jane Gunn (dare to be different) and some practical insights from HHJ Bird the designated civil judge for Manchester County Court who confirmed (after a well-timed question from myself) that mediation would be encouraged to hep deal with the civil claim backlog as we slowly return from full lock-down.
As we emerge from lock-down there is a tsunami of cases waiting to be litigated we urge all lawyers and clients to consider mediation (not least to comply with your duties under the Civil Procedure Rules) if you want to chat off the record, get an idea of timing and costs give Northwest Mediation a call.
There are other webinars this week in Delaware (a brand new jersey) today and tomorrow dealing with the future of mediation Berger Harris’ Suzanne Hill Holly will act as moderator.
Hamlet and Rockingham (these are town names if you’re not familiar with them and thought you’d missed a Shakespear play) have served notice they want to go to mediation with Richmond County for breaching an agreement with the two cities from 2015 regarding dealing with the use of a new 9-1-1 Centre.
The dispute is over the manner in which tax is used and was sourced for the centre, with Richmond County saying the two towns did not contribute so cannot benefit from positive adjustments to the ad valorem sales tax (the method to calculate what funds received in to county coffers are distributed to the towns for use).
The letter in which the towns offer to take the matter to mediation states “We would seek a jury trial, and we intend to allege breach of contract, actual fraud, constructive fraud, negligence, gross negligence, civil conspiracy, negligent misrepresentation, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and negligent supervision,” and will involve numerous officials form the county board past and present.
Save time, money all those witness expenses and the stress for all sides, yes mediation would seem appropriate.
Over to Florida where republican senator Darren Soto has called for mediation programs to be immediately implemented as the stay on all evictions lifts, in his comments today HHJ Bird (above) wasn’t that far from suggesting he’s expecting something similar to come for civil cases in England and Wales circuit.
Soto’s letter to sent on his own behalf and that of democratic representatives Kathy Castor, Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel, Alcee Hastings and Al Lawson to the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, Charles Canady said “Florida Courts should work creatively to reduce the inevitable financial and legal consequences of this national pandemic, through mediation or other alternative dispute resolutions for the millions of Floridians facing financial hardship…We believe the Florida courts should implement programs similar to the 2009 Statewide Managed Mediation Program for evictions due to nonpayment of rent and foreclosures. Beyond the financial and legal implications of a foreclosure or eviction lawsuit for an individual homeowner or tenant, the overall effects of the expiration of a sixty-day statewide moratorium may lead to housing insecurity and unnecessary strain on an already backlogged court system”
A reflection on mediations is out this week from John Sturrock QC whose thoughtful insights are always worth reading (especially as proceeds from the book go to cancer research). You can order it from Amazon here
Don’t hesitate to contact Northwest Mediation with your details using the chat button, filling in the contact form, phoning us or email, we can get back to you quickly and get the ball rolling often for free.
As we’ve said before choose to mediate early and resolve your issues effectively, quickly but with sufficient and sensible pauses for reflection, and with less stress and costs than going to your solicitor. You have an interest in the outcome the sooner you get around 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 (and some lawyers) 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 Northwest Mediation on 07931318347 or via email at ed.johnson@northwestmediation.co.uk
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