Mediation

How Is Catherine Different Than Other Mediators?

Catherine has been mediating for over 20 years.  When she is used as a mediator she brings not only the experience as a mediator, but her experience as an attorney.  She is able to sit down with the parties and examine both sides and help see possible risks and holes in a previously unsinkable vessel that make a resolution possible. However, her greatest assets are her knowledge of law and ability to be creative with solutions. So many times people try to put cases into cookie cutter boxes.  There are of course similar fact patterns on all cases, but if the parties could solve the case themselves they would not hirer attorneys and go to a mediator.  Catherine is not a carrier pigeon, she views her role as part of team that needs new ideas and energy.

Research shows that many times once a solution is reached people have a hard time coming up with additional ideas.  That is why Catherine can assist because her main focus is brain storming ideas and throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks.  If people don’t like the ideas she is not offended and just realizes she needs to come up with another idea.  Not every case can settle at mediation.  As Catherine has a very robust practice if the mediation only lasts an hour she will not waste the parties time.  Sometimes people have unreasonable expectations or are just unfamiliar with the law.  If that is the case then Catherine is not going to increase costs and drag a mediation out for another four hours.  She and the attorneys have other ways to spend their time and obtain billable hours.

One Mediation A Day

When mediation began to be ordered the attorneys would set them for three hour blocks. Catherine likewise had a a morning setting and an afternoon setting. In the last couple of years she has realized that sometimes cases need a little bit longer than three hours.  If a case needs more than three hours Catherine does not want to be rushed so she can move onto the next case.  Unless there is a special situation your case is the only one set each day.  This way there are no pressures on Catherine to rush the process.  However, this does not mean she will delay the process.  If your case only needs an hour then it will be done in an hour. Catherine takes pride in getting cases resolved in less time then what was allocated on the attorneys calendar.