Below the line

Appointment of Mediators, Below the line, Bias, Clients, Future of mediation, General, Instinct, Intuition, Lawyers and Psychologists, Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediation Users/Clients, Mediators’ Conduct, Perception, Philosophy, Quality, Standards, Success in mediation

(Bill Marsh Mediator)/ /Leave a comment

How many of us share the experience I have had – sitting on the last train home, late at night, with a day’s mediating behind me and no settlement? Perhaps even no meaningful progress towards a settlement? Occasionally, no offers even made? And as you do so, perhaps you find that your thoughts veer from:…

Appointment of Mediators, Below the line, Clients, Commercial Mediation, Conflict, conlfict coaching, Conventional wisdom, Decision making, Future of mediation, General, Instinct, Interests, Lawyers, Mediation Lawyering, mediation models, Mediation Practice, Mediation Users/Clients, Mediators’ Conduct, Neutrality, Success in mediation, Uncategorized

(Bill Marsh Mediator)/ /8 Comments

Something is in the air at the moment. And it goes to the heart of what we mediators do. On the one hand, noted mediation thinkers such as Robert Bush and Joseph Folger write an empassioned challenge to the profession “Reclaiming Mediation’s Future: Getting Over the Intoxication of Expertise, Re-Focusing on Party Self-Determination”, arguing that…

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(Bill Marsh Mediator)/ /3 Comments

Global Legal Post recently carried an article intriguingly entitled “Lawyers find Eureka moments in the shower“. Sadly the article itself lacked the slightly salacious promise of its title. Instead, it focused on the results of a survey of London city lawyers, indicating that those surveyed did their most creative thinking in the shower or commuting…

Appointment of Mediators, Below the line, Clients, Conflict, crisis negotiatons, Fear, General, Governments/Public Sector, insider and outsider mediators, Interests, International Mediation, mediation models, Mediation Users/Clients, Mediators’ Conduct, Neutrality, peace negotiations, Trust

(Bill Marsh Mediator)/ /4 Comments

Last month, Al Jazeera carried a piece called “‘Mama Boko Haram’ grasps for peace in Nigeria”. It detailed the activities of Aisha Wakil (pictured above), a Nigerian lawyer who has become a de facto mediator between Boco Haram and the Nigerian government – often at considerable risk to herself. “Mama Boko Haram”, as she has…

Below the line, Commercial Mediation, Communication, Confidentiality, Confidentiality and Transparency, conlfict coaching, Conventional wisdom, Creativity, Developing the Field, Ethics, Future of mediation, General, Instinct, Interests, Language, Lawyers, Mediation Lawyering, mediation models, Mediation Practice, Mistakes, Skills, Stages of mediation, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation, War Stories

(Brick Court Chambers / Clifton Chambers)/ /5 Comments

This is where I did my best work in Christmas week – in the twilight zone between the joint session room to the right of the water cooler and the private caucus room off to the left by the green bins. Corridors can be furtive and risky spaces on mediation days – ‘don’t ask me…

Appointment of Mediators, Below the line, Bias, Clients, Commercial Mediation, Conflict, Conventional wisdom, Creativity, Evaluative Mediation, General, Language, mediation models, Mediation Practice, mediation traditions, Mediation Users/Clients, Mediators’ Conduct, Training, Transformation, Understanding mediation

(Bill Marsh Mediator)/ /7 Comments

Mediators deal in words – not exclusively, but a great deal (and perhaps sometimes too much, but that’s another blog). So it pays for us to think carefully about what words really mean. A couple of years ago, I came across an article entitled “US facilitation yes, mediation no: Omar”. It detailed how Pakistan, through…

Below the line, Causes of Conflict, Clients, Commercial Mediation, Conflict, Efficiency, General, Mediation Practice, Mediation Users/Clients, Mistakes, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation

(Bill Marsh Mediator)/ /Leave a comment

Many of you will have read of the tragedy this week in Arizona, where a mediation ended in the death of one party, and the serious wounding of their lawyer. Details are still sketchy, but it seems that a mediation of a commercial dispute was taking place in an office in downtown Phoenix, between a…

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(Brick Court Chambers / Clifton Chambers)/ /Leave a comment

Down here in New Zealand it’s high summer and most of the country will spend until the end of January at the beach. I remember, when I was still at my law firm 10 years ago, the feeling of brief respite at this time of year before having to put on my boots again and trudge…

Below the line, Creativity, Guitar, Understanding mediation

(First Mediation Corporation)/ /Leave a comment

This story is for you if: You have agreed to mediate a state court case before a damage analysis has been exchanged Before or during the mediation you exchange confidential damage estimates with the other side The mediation results in impasse and you receive a motion to remove to federal court with your damage calculations…