X-Dispute LLC
MEDIATION THINKING
Preparation Makes A Difference In Mediations
Preparation Makes A Difference In Mediations
Preparation Makes A Difference In Mediations
Just as in litigating cases, preparation is a key driver of a successful mediation outcome.
I generally have an early Zoom (or its equivalent) conference with counsel for all parties to learn generally about the case and its status, go over my suggested approaches to the particular mediation, and any variants that might be suggested by co
Just as in litigating cases, preparation is a key driver of a successful mediation outcome.
I generally have an early Zoom (or its equivalent) conference with counsel for all parties to learn generally about the case and its status, go over my suggested approaches to the particular mediation, and any variants that might be suggested by counsel, set dates for submissions and the mediation session(s) and then obtain copies of the pleadings and any important decisions in the case. I almost always request that Mediation Statements prepared by each side be exchanged by the parties as well as submitted to me, along with copies of any key documents, approximately ten days before the Mediation, with any additional points or documents that a party wants to provide confidentially only to the Mediator submitted solely to me.
I often email each party's counsel on a confidential basis a small number of questions just for that party raised by my review of the Mediation Statements and related materials that I ask that counsel answer confidentially in an email sent solely to me.
Shortly before the first mediation session, I hold a pre-mediation Zoom conference separately with each party/side (counsel and often party representative) to go over questions, issues or concerns that the parties or I may have as well as to present a proposed game plan for the mediation session(s) based on what I have learned so far. Often, these conferences will include beginnings of discussions of potential avenues for resolution. On many occasions, I have more than one such pre-conference with each side.
I use these avenues of preparation to try to determine whether there can be creative business solutions to resolving the case other than simply splitting a dollar claim. And, even when the resolution boils down to dollars to be paid, the preparation is a first step in allowing me to give (confidentially and separately) evaluative suggestions to each side about the strengths and weaknesses of their positions that can assist each party in arriving at a pure monetary settlement .
In a number of mediations I have handled, insurer or multiple defendant interests must be addressed separately, and advance work can be helpful here as well in permitting me to understand all of the issues and the multiple "moving parts" for a successful resolution.
Counsel necessarily play a critical role in preparing not just the Mediator, but their own client. Advance discussion by counsel with the client about case strengths and weaknesses and potential settlement avenues is essential to having a meaningful mediation session. Preparation of a short opening statement to be presented to the Mediator and the other party(ies) at the initial joint session that is diplomatic but frank can often help the other side's business representative see the case from a different perspective as well as offer an opportunity for counsel to suggest openness toward settlement. Advance work by the parties on supporting or trimming damages claims, along with ideas for solutions that go beyond strict payment of cash, can also be helpful.
With the parties and the Mediator fully prepared for the mediation sessions, there is a much higher likelihood for a successful outcome.
( June 2016)
More on the Future of Zoom and other Virtual Mediation, Arbitration and Service as a Special Master
It is true, as the saying goes, that “necessity is the mother of invention.” Among the few silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic was the introduction of full remote video mediation via Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams and other similar platforms as a terrific way to resolve cases with significantly minimized burden and expense on the parties. As a regular mediator of large commercial cases of every variety, I had been accustomed to traveling for my mediations. Whether in New York, Florida, Minneapolis, North Carolina, Tennessee or California, I would travel to get the case settled. The same was true for counsel for the parties, the client representatives and, if the case was an underlying commercial case with insurance at stake, the insurer representatives as well.
Now, I have been conducting numerous of these same sorts of mediations via Zoom, and no one needs to leave their city or even their home. It is true that there was ( and is) a benefit to face to face interaction, but the fact is that I still have that with counsel and with their clients via Zoom. I have settled every single one of my Zoom mediations conducted this year. Let me explain just how easy and effective it is by describing my typical mediation approach and then how I have made it even better via Zoom:
The Pre-Mediation Conferences
The way I handle mediations begins with my emailing and then speaking with both sides’ counsel at the outset about the nature of the dispute and then asking them to send me Mediation Statements describing their positions and including copies of any relevant documents. Sometimes counsel will want me to review whole summary judgement motions that are pending; sometimes it’s the relevant contracts and key documents. In the pre-COVID world, I held the initial conferences by telephone. Now I generally do it by Zoom, beginning a full face-to-face interaction that continues throughout the mediation process.
Additionally, pre-pandemic, I almost always had a separate pre-mediation call about a week or ten days before the main mediation session with each side’s counsel, and sometimes their clients, to see if I could begin to make progress before we got the main mediation session or at least have everyone understanding how we would try to approach getting to “yes” in the main mediation to follow. Now I have been holding those separate sessions with each side via Zoom, and this has allowed us to build rapport and accomplish more as everyone is, in essence, face-to-face. I can show them, or they can show me, documents on my Zoom “share screen” while we talk. By the time we get the main mediation session, I know the lawyers and their clients pretty well.
In one recent mediation involving the claims of a government appointed liquidator of an insolvent firm against a major accounting firm, we actually used Zoom to have a month’s worth of separate-side Zoom sessions through which I secured continuing offers and counteroffers from each side so that we went into the main mediation day with some progress having already been made. The mediation day was difficult enough, but the pre-sessions made it possible to complete the negotiation of a full settlement in a (long) mediation day.
The Zoom Practice Session
I generally set a practice session for all counsel and parties who wish to attend for 30 minutes on the day or two before the main mediation session. This is just to assure everyone how Zoom will work, how I will be able to move them and me from “room” to “room” within our session, how they can speak privately without me in their rooms, how I can speak with just counsel privately, etc. I also show them how they will be able to put up documents for all to see, either in the joint session or breakout sessions as the mediation goes forward. This session is also an opportunity to break some ice with the two sides meeting together for a few minutes with me.
The Main Event
The Zoom main mediation day proceeds just like the traditional in-person mediations, except that none of the lawyers, clients and Mediator need to travel there-- not even across town, much less across the country. As in a traditional mediation, I have an advance agreement with the parties as to whether they wish for the initial joint session to be short and sweet or longer and more substantive.
At the Zoom opening joint session, whatever its length, I give everyone a road-map about how the day will go, and pep talk about what we can achieve in the mediation. I then place each party into its own “breakout room” and reserve one “breakout room” for myself in case I want to meet with a subset of participants alone. From that point onward, I move from breakout room to breakout room discussing the issues and getting offers and counteroffers from each party. If there is an issue that would benefit from having all the parties together to discuss, I can move everyone back to our main mediation room for that mini-session. If there is an issue that would benefit from a back-channel discussion with just a couple of counsel, I can “ beam” them out of their breakout rooms into my Mediator’s room for the discussion and then “beam” them back—ala Star Trek.
I have been settling quite a number of cases this way. Just like in an in-person mediation, sometimes it goes well into the late night before we get to “yes.” However, unlike the in-person mediation, there are no planes to catch or cancel or artificial deadlines.
Moreover, it is easy to continue the conversation with the parties separately after the initial mediation day if a settlement cannot be produced that day. No travel is necessary; just schedule a Zoom appointment.
The Ability to Improvise is Better
Zoom and related video technologies also increase the ability to improvise toward settlement. Here are some recent examples from my experience:
1. How do you get parties from disparate time zones together? I recently completed a huge mediation between a set of Chinese companies on one side and a U.S company on the other. Originally, pre-pandemic, we spent weeks trying to arrive at a date when the Chinese representatives could come to New York, and even then we knew that it would take more than one session. The time zones are 12 hours apart, and the travel costs (dollar and personal) are huge. Instead, we proceeded via Zoom with me conducting the separate breakout sessions in business time for each side. It was a little of an inconvenience for me meeting at 8 or 10pm with the Chinese, but it made a complicated mediation possible and much less expensive for everyone.
2. How do you get multiple Towers of Insurers to a mediation of an underlying case? Rather than having to first find one date that works for everyone and then having insurer representatives/ counsel travel from all over to the mediation, everyone can just get on their computer via Zoom.
3. How do you address financial institutions that have security concerns with Zoom? While I understand that Zoom has addressed the early security concerns raised about its platform, I have had certain financial institutions as mediation clients that prohibit all their employees and counsel, inside and outside, from using Zoom for their business matters. I solved this in one case by holding the separate pre-mediation and mediation-day breakout sessions for that institution on Webex, and holding the pre-mediation and mediation-day breakout sessions with the other party on Zoom. We held the joint session that began the mediation day on Webex. Webex did not offer breakout rooms like Zoom, but the combination of separate sessions on Zoom and Webex accomplished the exact same thing.
4. What if you have a multiple-party case to settle, but the Mediator won’t get to some of the parties until well after the start of the mediation? A number of my cases involve multiple parties, and sometimes I really need to get important movement from certain parties before I move on to others. When everyone has to travel to one location for the traditional in-person mediation, that would leave a number of lawyers and clients “cooling their heels” for hours or even most of a day without much attention. Using Zoom, these parties will be in their own offices and can be told to just go about their own other work until we get to having to meet substantively with them. I will check in from time to time, but otherwise they are free to do their own business.
5. Does Zoom work for arbitrations? Zoom also works well for arbitrations, allowing for oral arguments, live witness examinations, contemporaneous display of documents and charts and confidential and secure breakout rooms for the arbitration tribunal and for counsel and witnesses. Moreover, a number of vendors offer transcription, enhanced document showcasing and support services that enable a full arbitration hearing of even the most complex cases—all without anyone traveling. In certain cases, traditional in person arbitrations may well continue to be preferred for cross examinations of witnesses, but the live video option will now be available for preliminary hearings, motions, arguments and full final hearings when arbitrators, parties and witnesses are far apart, making arbitration not only safer in a pandemic but much less expensive and far less burdensome on all concerned.
6. What about your Special Master work? Here as well, Zoom and similar technologies are a great improvement. As a Special Master, I have been easily be available to counsel (and they to me) face-to-face on short notice our computer screens, and we can better work out counsels’ discovery or other problems with speed and the better rapport that comes with visual connection.
My Conclusion: Live Video Mediation, Arbitration and Special Master Services Are Here To Stay In the Right Circumstances.
It should be pretty clear that I am a big fan of Zoom and similar technologies. For mediations, I can offer parties the same experience with less cost and aggravation and more time spent actually getting the case settled, which is why I am hired in the first place. For this reason, I am convinced that even after we solve the covid-19 pandemic, these technologies will be here to stay.
Not every arbitration final hearing will or should be conducted via Zoom, but in circumstances such as the present COVID 19 pandemic, or where the parties, counsel, witnesses and arbitrators are in disparate locations around the country or the world, Zoom and similar technologies offer a great and cost-effective solution. The technology is certainly an improvement for preliminary hearings, motions, arguments and witnesses who might otherwise not easily be available for in-person testimony.
Special Master conferences via live video technology are also a great option that makes travel unnecessary and are a huge improvement over voice-only telephone conferences.
( November 23, 2020)
The "P" Pillars for Successful Mediation
Preparation Makes A Difference In Mediations
Preparation Makes A Difference In Mediations
I have been telling clients that there are a number of what I will call “P” qualities that I have found central to success in the challenge of resolving mediations. To date, I have settled most of the completed mediations for which I have been retained by the parties, often based on one or more of these "P" pillars discussed below.
Perspe
I have been telling clients that there are a number of what I will call “P” qualities that I have found central to success in the challenge of resolving mediations. To date, I have settled most of the completed mediations for which I have been retained by the parties, often based on one or more of these "P" pillars discussed below.
Perspective: Different parties will inevitably come to the same mediation with different perspectives about what occurred, the relative merits of the parties’ positions and how best to resolve the dispute. A successful mediator has to be able to (1) see the issues from each party’s frame of reference, (2) make sure that each side understands the other’s perspective; (3) find “ribbons” of common ground in these seemingly divergent perspectives and (4) introduce new perspectives to the situation to help find further avenues for resolution. This requires being a good listener as well as an empathetic and credible communicator. The perspective of my many years as a litigator also helps me relate to the needs and concerns of parties and counsel.
Patience: Although there are some mediations that can be resolved in one session, you need to give the parties time to communicate their perspectives, truly digest the other side(s)’ perspectives and needs, evaluate the directions in which movement can be made and the range of different potential options that might be available to get to “yes.” I try to build in some of this needed time even before the first mediation session through pre-mediation telephone conference calls with each party and often written questions sent to each side. I also often encourage parties to reserve two days for their mediation session because in many cases, resolution is simply not possible in one day. Moreover, many mediations require extensive telephone shuttle diplomacy with each of the parties after or between mediation sessions. Many times, it seems easy as a Mediator to see how a case rationally should settle, but it takes patience and the power of intense listening to each side and credible persuasion by me to allow the parties to get to common ground. Often, with time, one or more of the parties will come up with (or agree to) a new approach that bridges a gap that once seemed insurmountable. Also, there are times when discovery or proceedings in a case need to move along a bit further for the parties to better understand the risks and likely range of outcomes if their litigation were to continue.
Perseverance: Related to patience, a successful Mediator needs to be able to “roll with the punches,” and not be discouraged even when parties and their counsel are declaring impasse or refusing to budge. In one recent mediation, I was literally told by a disheartened but very capable and experienced counsel that I was essentially fired because I was not bringing value to his client’s cause given the other side’s refusal to move further in the negotiation. I refused to give up, tried my best to explain how I saw the risks and options, and ultimately brought about a settlement through a Mediator’s Proposal. I have always been an optimist by nature, and it is a good disposition for a mediator.
Persistence: This is another “P” quality related to patience and perseverance. I literally “lived” persistence as a long-time big case litigator trying to achieve the very best results for my clients. Now as a Mediator, I am just as committed, but with the goal of getting the parties to a result they can agree to themselves rather than having a resolution imposed on them by a judge or jury, with all the associated costs, appeals and downside risks. In short, I don’t give up. I may have to be patient. I may have to persevere. But I will try to persist until I can settle the case.
You might think that I must have run out of “P” qualities by now. In fact, there are certainly other "P"s that deserve at least honorable mention. First, as noted in my very first Quarterly Update piece, “Preparation” by both mediator and counsel is critical to a successful mediation. Second, when I recently ran into a long-time litigator friend and told him that I would be writing about the “P” qualities necessary for a Mediator, he correctly observed that a Mediator needs to be able to assess and address the impact of different “Personalities” of the parties’ counsel and representatives on getting to a deal. How true. I truly enjoy the “people” part of mediating, just as I really enjoyed all (or almost all) of the people interactions I had as a litigator, which helped me settle a lot of cases over the years as well as make a number of friends. And, finally, a “P” phrase, “Put it on Paper,” is a reminder that it is often helpful in a mediation to get the parties to memorialize on paper (and electronically of course) the deal struck in the mediation as quickly as possible so that neither side is tempted to attempt to avoid the deal accomplished at the mediation.
( September 2017)
AVOIDING AND BREAKING MEDIATION IMPASSE
Preparation Makes A Difference In Mediations
AVOIDING AND BREAKING MEDIATION IMPASSE
The very reason for mediation is that the parties are in dispute, whether it a broken business contract, frustrated joint venture partners, a disappointed acquisition purchaser, a terminated executive, a securities class action, client or third party claims against an accounting firm or law firm, IP/ trademark disputes, insurance counterp
The very reason for mediation is that the parties are in dispute, whether it a broken business contract, frustrated joint venture partners, a disappointed acquisition purchaser, a terminated executive, a securities class action, client or third party claims against an accounting firm or law firm, IP/ trademark disputes, insurance counterparties or mass tort claims. My job as a mediator is to search for and bring the parties to a solution. Everything I do from day one is to learn from the parties what is most important for them and what may be possible areas for a solution.
Sophisticated players recognize that their chances of resolution are multiplied by being able to present their case to an experienced neutral who is totally devoted to helping settle their case:
· to give unbiased feedback to counsel –and often more importantly—to their clients;
· to challenge and probe behind the points each side is making;
· to ask the difficult questions about the costs and burdens of litigation;
· to help bridge the coverage issues between and among insurers and the defendants; and
· who will devote singular attention to achieving a reasonable resolution.
Reading, Listening and Developing Trust: Pre-Mediation Zoom Meetings
Everyone who has conducted mediations with me knows that I am a huge believer in pre-mediation Zoom meetings to learn from counsel and their clients about how they see the dispute and how they think I can best help them get to a settlement. If there is time, I will first meet with counsel to find out from them their thoughts not just on the case and ideas for potential settlement, but also to get their input into how I can most effectively communicate with their clients and what they think their clients need. I then meet with counsel along with the client representative(s) as appropriate. In cases where the parties are many time zones apart, such as a dispute between Chinese and U.S. businesses, I have successfully conducted whole mediations by simply going between separate Zoom conferences with each party at times convenient to each of them, without ever even having a main mediation session where the parties are together.
The Main Mediation Session
As a result of the Zoom pre-meetings, I have already built a relationship with each side by the time we get to our one or two-day main mediation session. We start in a large joint plenary conference room (or virtual one via video conference). We will introduce everyone, I will give the parties a pep-talk on why I know that the mediation can be successful. I tell them that, between them, they have the full and complete power to resolve the case on their own terms, and that otherwise they will be outsourcing their outcome to a judge and jury over whom they have no control. But the big question for the main mediation session is whether to start with each side giving opening statements about what they want the other side to know about their case. Some players prefer to skip these presentations that they see as being a waste of time and potentially only antagonizing clients on the other side, but I have seen some of these have a real impact on the other side in terms of showing what the downside could look like. Generally, if one party would prefer to begin with openings, the other side will agree because the whole point of the process is to allow the parties to share their perspectives with one another in a controlled process. However, I will counsel the parties to avoid invectives and stick to the ”facts” that they want to show the other side to make settlement compelling to them. As it turns out, most often the parties opt to skip the opening statements and go directly to the separate caucus sessions, but I am equally successful settling cases with and without opening statements.
The meat of the main mediation session consists of the separate caucus sessions in which I shuttle among the parties in separate rooms getting offers and messages from each side to the other side in a caucus process that continues my work that I started in the private pre-mediation Zoom sessions at which I ask each side about (1) their strengths and weaknesses, (2) challenge their assumptions, (3) discuss the costs and burdens they are likely to face going forward, (3) and try to work with each side toward an offer strategy, and an approach toward each successive offer, that will help bring them closer to the other side.
Moving Far-Apart Parties Toward One Another: The Conditional Offer
More often than any mediator would like, the parties in a monetary dispute spend considerable time making small moves that leave them solar systems away from one another. One of the best ways to try to help the parties move closer together is the “conditional offer.” For example, if the plaintiffs have moved down to $300 million in their third offer round offer, and the defendants moved up to only $7.5 million because they believe that the plaintiff’s offers are not even close to place where they could envision a settlement, even though they know they would pay significantly more than where they have presently bid, the conditional offer presents a good solution for either of the parties to incentivize the other to make a bigger move. The construct of the conditional offer is “if you move to $ X, we will move to $Y.” Putting it into our hypothetical, I might advise the defendants in their next move to make a conditional offer such as “we will move up to $20 million if plaintiffs move down to $100 million.” The plaintiffs could either accept the offer, which creates a new bargaining range between $100 million and $20 million, or present plaintiffs’ own conditional offer in response, such as “plaintiffs will move down to $150 million if defendants move up to $50 million.” Even if these conditional offers are not themselves accepted, they convey enormously helpful information. They show the ranges around which each party would settle. Moreover, while parties are never obligated to settle at the mid-point between their offers, each conditional offer range has a mid-point that can be examined and tested as a possible solution. Moreover, with competing conditional offer ranges, one can calculate the mid-point between the two mid-points, and test how close that is to a neighborhood in which a settlement might be achieved. The parties can continue to make a number of conditional offers, moving successively closer to one another until finally one party will say: “We are now going to make a solid number offer,” and then there can be a further period of solid offer exchanges, with the difference being that this time, the parties’ offers are much closer to one another because of the information provided to one another through their conditional offer ranges.
Non-Monetary Solutions
As a mediator, I am always looking for non-monetary “compensation” that can add figurative “currency “needed to get to a solution. It might be a private or public apology, it might be a joint press release, it might be a newly constructed business arrangement or the transfer of an IP license, it might be a consent stipulation with respect to certain corporate conduct that, along with some monetary consideration, could help settle a class action. The list of possibilities is as long as the creativity of the parties and their counsel, and I am always trying to see if there are non-monetary aspects of consideration that can help make a settlement happen.
Tools for Breaking an “Impasse”
There are times when one or both parties will express frustration, with statements to me like: “well if that is where they are, we are at an impasse” or “That’s it. We’re done.” I was once told by one party counsel “If this is all you can do, we don’t really need you anymore,” yet I went on to settle that lawyer’s case just a few weeks later. It should be no surprise that frustration can be ever-present, waiting to bubble out from just under the surface because we are dealing with settling a real dispute. My role as mediator is to calm the parties, and to persist in every effort to help get them to the “Promised Land:” a reasonable (even if not optimal) result that will be better than continuing the dispute through litigation or arbitration. I almost always succeed because I have a lot of tools for the job. Here are some:
1. Display unrelenting optimism and good cheer, but perhaps with some chagrin or disappointment when needed to convey that more effort is needed from the parties.
2. Continually engage and brainstorm with each side, and keep asking for ideas or “ammunition” to convey to the other side.
3. Provide each side with a “Mediator’s Cost and Risk Adjusted [Recovery] [Exposure] Analysis” PowerPoint that shows the probable damages recovery or exposure ranges—after litigation costs—at certain percentage ranges of probability of prevailing (e.g., at 30%, 40%, 50% and 60%).
4. Remind each party that I have settled just about all my mediations. . . and to keep the faith !
5. Get each party’s “ Next to bottom-line number.” Say something like: “ It is 4:30 pm. We need to get real. Don’t tell me your bottom line. Just tell me confidentially-- what is your next to the last number?” That might give me something more with which to work.
6. Play some games with each side:
i. ask the people on each team to each write down what number each thinks it will take to settle the case on a fully confidential scrap of paper & and then compare within the room the confidential variations. There could be new numbers!
ii. Ask each side to play the other side and make the next bid they would make if they were on the other side. It helps the parties see the other side’s perspective.
7. The “Mediator’s Proposal Protocol” is close to the final resort if the parties are still at an impasse after a long period of negotiation.
· The idea is that, if both parties agree, I will try to present a Mediator’s proposed settlement number that I believe has the greatest chance to be accepted by everyone-- with the pressure being on the parties that this is their last clear chance to settle the case. This is not the number that I think is right as a moral matter. Rather it is a number that neither side will love, but I hope that neither side will leave.
· I explain that it is a double-blind protocol where I will suggest the number in writing and each side can tell me confidentially in writing within a certain period whether they accept or reject the proposal, yes or no.
· If both sides agree with my proposal, I simply tell everyone that the case is settled at the proposal number subject to documentation
· But if either or both sides disagree with my proposal, I simply tell the parties that my proposal was not accepted, and that way a side that rejects the proposal never knows whether the other side had accepted or rejected the proposal.
The amount of time I give to accept or reject the proposed number will depend on what the parties want—sometimes it is 30 minutes at the end of a long mediation session. Sometimes it is overnight. Sometimes it will take longer to get approvals so it might be a week.
The Bottom-Line
In the final analysis, what is clear is that I can settle most cases where the parties come to mediation willing to roll up their sleeves, even if they begin far apart. As always, please contact me if you would like to discuss these or any other issues or have any questions.
(March 2023)
*************************************
How Long Should You Plan For a Mediation To Take?
Just as each litigation has its own facts and rhythms, so too mediations will differ from case to case. Some even very complicated litigations can be resolved in a one-day mediation session if enough preparation work is put into it up front, and I try to do that with advance calls with each side, both at the outset of scheduling the mediation and a few days before the mediation session itself. For example, in a recent one-day mediation, I was able to help the parties put a broken cross-border corporate sale transaction back together.
However, many complex and large stakes cases take more than a one-day session to settle, and can often require multiple sessions. I make it a practice to never give up, and to keep actively seeking a solution with the parties via email, telephone and later sessions until the case is resolved or it is made clear that no further mediation is desired.
If you have a litigation or arbitration that is in its very early stages, and there has yet to be any discovery, or discovery has just begun, it can be a very opportune time try to settle because the parties can save significant legal expense. On the other hand, the parties and their counsel may have a lot more to digest in evaluating their positions, making settlement in one mediation session not possible. This should not discourage parties, as most such cases will eventually settle.
Often, I recommend that the parties plan for at least two days of mediation sessions right at the outset, particularly if some or all of the parties or counsel will be traveling to the session. If all the reserved time is not needed to settle the matter, then all the better. But, as is often the case, if more than a one-day session is needed to move the needle sufficiently to complete a settlement, then the parties and their counsel will already be together to complete the negotiation. Even if still further sessions will be required in order finally to settle the case, the parties will be further along toward making that happen. Long running litigation in particular may take time to settle due to the size of the stakes, numbers of parties (and/ or insurers), differences in perception of risk, animosities, litigation inertia or the need for additional exposure analysis.
If the case is not settled even after the initial scheduled session or sessions, I feel that it is incumbent on me as the Mediator to continue to pursue efforts, and listen to and propose ideas, toward settlement. Those who have worked with me know that even when the case is not settled right away, I do not give up. I try to continue the discussion until there is a resolution. Sometimes I can achieve that simply with further emails and calls with counsel and/ or principals, and sometimes those emails and calls can lead to a further session that will ultimately resolve the matter.
Of course, there are instances when one or another party feels that it cannot settle the case given the posture of the other side or the nature of the issues presented. Sometimes, the parties are compelled to mediate by the Court when one or the other party does not wish to settle. I obviously cannot force parties to settle. All I can do, and will do, is use my inherently optimistic approach, years of high stakes litigation experience and neutral evaluation and facilitation skills to try to help counsel and the parties reach a settlement that will provide them with certainty in an outcome that they fully control versus the costs and uncertainties of a litigated result. In most cases, the party principals and counsel will see the light and reach a settlement.
It also helps that I like working with people and really enjoy helping bringing about a resolution.
( June 2017)
Zoom, WebEx, Skype & Other Virtual Mediation, Arbitration & Related ADR ( June 2020)
Zoom, WebEx, Skype & Other Virtual Mediation, Arbitration & Related ADR ( June 2020)
Zoom, WebEx, Skype & Other Virtual Mediation, Arbitration & Related ADR ( June 2020)
The pandemic Zoom wave has provided mediators and arbitrators another smart technique with which to work that I predict will continue to provide enormous benefit to mediations and arbitrations even when the covid-19 virus pandemic ends.
Mediations
There are certainly irreplaceable benefits to the traditional in-person mediation day, includ
The pandemic Zoom wave has provided mediators and arbitrators another smart technique with which to work that I predict will continue to provide enormous benefit to mediations and arbitrations even when the covid-19 virus pandemic ends.
Mediations
There are certainly irreplaceable benefits to the traditional in-person mediation day, including the built-up momentum to settle produced by having everyone physically and financially invested in the process with full focus, and often with key players having traveled just to get there. Still, much of that can be duplicated with Zoom, WebEx and other similar technologies, as each attendee will make the investment in the process and be able to interact with the mediator and other remote attendees, jointly and in virtual breakout rooms.
To be sure, these technologies also can present technical challenges if the internet connection gets weaker or is interrupted in one or more of the parties' locations. However, those technical difficulties can be overcome by making sure at the outset that the Mediator has each person's cell phone number and email contacts, and that a technical planning session is held with counsel in advance so that everyone is comfortable with the technology and how the process will progress. Documents can be shared, either through the Zoom share page feature or by simply emailing drafts that can be worked on by everyone.
We also have the option of using one Zoom session with breakout rooms or simultaneous separate Zoom or WebEx sessions from which the mediator can jump from one conference to another. Further, we can hold the mediation for a full day as in the typical in-person mediation session or we can utilize separate sessions with each side in "shuttle diplomacy" over a period of days--all with the benefit of being able to see and interact with the participants.
I have presently been conducting a number of mediations via these technologies because of virus constraints. However, I can also envision situations in future post-pandemic mediations where Zoom, WebEx, Skype and other similar technologies will continue as a fantastic additional tool. For example, should I wish to confer with a group of insurer representatives or multiple plaintiff or defense counsel to help settle an underlying dispute, it is now possible for the entire group (or certain subsets) to confer with me via Zoom without any of them having to travel. The same would be true for other multi-party cases where the players are geographically distant.
Arbitrations
In arbitrations as well, these technologies can permit a video-based live final hearing, should that become necessary and appropriate. Moreover, another continuing benefit of this technology beyond covid-19 will be the ability to conduct preliminary conferences and motions in a more advanced setting than simply as a telephone conference call. Even in live final hearings, this type of technology has already had a history of use for specific witness examinations when the particular witness could not travel to the hearing location within the time frame set for the hearing.
Special Master Scenarios
The discovery Special Master now also has an easy to use tool that beats a telephone conference call to provide quick resolution of the parties' discovery disputes.
Just like the computer and the smartphone, these technologies will be here to stay and will only improve over time.
The Caucus Sessions Are Where The Case Gets Settled
Zoom, WebEx, Skype & Other Virtual Mediation, Arbitration & Related ADR ( June 2020)
Zoom, WebEx, Skype & Other Virtual Mediation, Arbitration & Related ADR ( June 2020)
After the initial introductory joint session, it is time for me to speak separately and confidentially with each of the party representatives and their counsel in shuttle diplomacy between them. These "caucus sessions" are the heart of virtually every mediation. Like other aspects of the mediation process, I am flexible about how I handl
After the initial introductory joint session, it is time for me to speak separately and confidentially with each of the party representatives and their counsel in shuttle diplomacy between them. These "caucus sessions" are the heart of virtually every mediation. Like other aspects of the mediation process, I am flexible about how I handle the caucus sessions depending on what is needed in the particular case. I try to explore the best approach to the mediation in written email questions to the parties counsel (when there is time for them in the mediation schedule) and in my pre-mediation session conference calls.
I generally use the first caucus session after the initial joint session to ask questions to be sure I understand each party's positions and to discuss what I see as the relative strengths and weaknesses of the party's positions on the various issues in the case. I ask about reactions to the opening statements in the initial joint session. I try to hear out the viewpoints, facts and emotions guiding the thinking of each party. I want to be sure I have identified with the party what the major issues in controversy are from its perspective. I want to be sure I understand the prior settlement discussion history, if any, beyond what I have learned in the pre-mediation conference calls and mediation statement submissions. I want to be able to see the dispute through the eyes of the party representatives as well as my own.
At some point, I will begin to convey to the party a general initial viewpoint on how I am evaluating each particular issue ( i.e., which side has the better argument as I see it now and any nuances about the value of the issue to the dispute) and ask counsel and the party representative(s) to tell me if, how and why they see things much differently. The party may change my mind or influence how I am perceiving a particular issue as a result of this discussion. I also try to get an understanding of what each side realistically sees as the range of possible damages should there be any liability. I also use this session and my pre-mediation session conference calls and pre-mediation session written questions to try to tease out whether there are other avenues for relief besides the pure payment of money--such as, for example, (a) future business relations or employment, (b) an agreement to leave a portion of the dispute for resolution by means of an agreed yardstick based on potential developments over an agreed period such as the next 12 or 24 months, (c) an escrow arrangement, equity participation or payments over time (c) some revisions that would revive a failed deal or (d) other ideas to try to expand the "pie" of potential approaches to bridge the parties' positions.
Even before the very first caucus sessions, I try to chart for myself the various issues. Then, as the caucus sessions proceed, sharpen my thinking on rough percentage chances of each side prevailing on each of the various issues, and each issue's significance to the resolution of the overall dispute, as well its impact on a rough range of potential monetary damages or other relief in the case. With this, I try to begin to frame a monetary ( and/ or non-monetary) range of where the parties should consider settlement. I then try to work with each of the parties ( or sides), in the separate caucus sessions to get either full initial offers or their reactions and input into an appropriate range of relief (monetary or non-monetary) in which to negotiate.
Only sometimes will I ask for an actual settlement offer in the first caucus session. This may be perfectly appropriate when there has already been some settlement exchanges between the parties and an "offer" is really due. But in other cases, I do not yet want a party to harden its position into an offer because it may be too extreme at this early stage to be sufficiently productive.
There is sometimes a debate between the parties about who should make the first offer at the mediation, which actually should make little difference, but I can get around this by agreeing to get both sides' "soft" offers confidentially and not to be shared with the other until I convince them both that I believe that the other party's approach is sufficiently within reason to allow offers to be exchanged. I make myself a fount of optimism, leaving no stone unturned in a search for a compromise resolution. Sometimes a party will be more willing to move on some issues rather than others. Perhaps the other side finds another issue more appealing on which to move. These can be traded off to bring the parties closer on the final outcome. The important thing is to try to avoid the parties locking themselves into final impasse positions that make forward movement impossible, reminding them of the unnecessary risks and costs of litigating the case to a judgment over which they will have no ultimate control of the outcome.
Every mediation has its own rhythm, potential avenues for compromise and personalities. It is up the Mediator to be ever sensitive to the opportunities for resolution that are presented by the peculiarities of the particular case.
If the parties appear to be at an impasse that cannot be bridged, I will often offer to provide a single final "Mediator's Proposal" for resolution. This is non-binding, but the parties agree that they will each either accept or reject the proposal confidentially to me. I tell them that I will not tell either party what the other party's answer to my "Mediator's Proposal" was unless both sides have accepted it. If there is not acceptance on both sides, I will only convey to both sides that the proposal was not accepted. Sometimes I give the parties a day or two to think about the proposal before responding. Other times, it can bridge a gap at the mediation session itself.
Finally, it is important to note that some cases cannot be settled in the first day or even two days of mediation. I generally encourage parties to schedule at least two days of mediation in case we cannot settle the case in one day, but in some cases, even two days are not enough. Sometimes one or more of the parties feel strongly that they need to know the resolution of a dispositive motion before they can commit to what it would take to reach a compromise. Sometimes a party may misread its chances in litigation or arbitration or the huge drain on resources that continued litigation will entail. Sometimes something in the business climate behind the dispute changes, opening a new window of opportunity for settlement or at least temporarily closing the window for a settlement. For all these reasons, even if the originally booked mediation session(s) have not produced a settlement, I let the parties know that I am available to continue talking by telephone or by further sessions to help them take control of their own dispute and settle it.
In fact, when a case does not settle in the allotted mediation sessions, I most often will continue to attempt telephone shuttle diplomacy even if I cannot immediately bring the parties together. Not infrequently, an additional session or series of telephone calls can resolve a case or bring about that one more session that resolves a case.
( January 2017)
The Importance of Continuing Zoom, Telephone & Email Shuttle Diplomacy
Zoom, WebEx, Skype & Other Virtual Mediation, Arbitration & Related ADR ( June 2020)
The Importance of Continuing Zoom, Telephone & Email Shuttle Diplomacy
Part and parcel of the Mediator patience, persistence and perseverance necessary to achieve a mediated settlement in many cases will be the Zoom, telephone and email shuttle diplomacy that follows an initial mediation session at which a settlement has not yet been achieved. Of course, the ideal is to try to settle at the initially schedul
Part and parcel of the Mediator patience, persistence and perseverance necessary to achieve a mediated settlement in many cases will be the Zoom, telephone and email shuttle diplomacy that follows an initial mediation session at which a settlement has not yet been achieved. Of course, the ideal is to try to settle at the initially scheduled formal mediation session(s), and for the mediator and parties to prepare in advance to try to make the scheduled formal sessions as fruitful as possible. But the reality is that every case has its own timing, and in quite a few cases, when efforts at the initial scheduled session(s) fail to bring about an immediate settlement, shuttle diplomacy using video conference, telephone, email and even text communications can bring a mediation to a settlement.
If I am unable to settle a mediation at the initial session(s), I try to work with the parties until I can bring them to common ground. Sometimes a second formal session or group of sessions will be necessary, but quite often I can achieve a settlement through a combination of Zoom, telephone and email efforts alone once I have gotten to know counsel and the parties at the initial sessions and in the preparatory telephone conferences before the sessions. Further bonding is also common in the post-session exchanges with counsel and/ or their clients, when I am able to discuss the needs and concerns of each party and the range of options open to them.
Those who have worked with me know that I don't give up on a mediation, and further shuttle diplomacy can often bring about the final result that all parties need even without further formal sessions. (March 2018)
================================
ITS ALL ABOUT COST EFFECTIVE RESOLUTION THAT YOU CONTROL
Whether its Mediation, Arbitration or retaining a Special Master, alternative dispute resolution is, or at least should be, all about the parties themselves exercising greater control over the resolution of their dispute, the mechanics and costs, and its outcome. You drive the bus.
Mediation gives the parties ultimate control: over the choice of mediator, over the procedural steps and, most significantly, over the outcome. If the parties truly invest the effort and truly are willing to reach a compromise resolution that they themselves completely control, mediations should almost always be successful. As a mediator, I try my best to get the parties to a place where they can most effectively exercise that control by exploring the range of choices and alternatives and providing some neutral perspectives that are often absent in the heat of litigation.
Arbitration gives the parties a large amount of control over the process. The parties can choose the rules, the forum, the law, the procedures for pre-hearing, hearing and post-hearing, and depending on the arbitral rules chosen, can choose one arbitrator of a tripartite panel and have input into the selection of the panel chair/umpire or input into the selection of a single arbitrator or arbitration panel by a "strike and rank" system or even by agreeing directly with the other side on a well respected arbitrator that both sides can trust. The parties can also use arbitration to control costs and bring about quicker resolution: by limiting discovery, by proposing resolution through motions, by limiting the amount of time for testimonial evidence at the hearing, by agreeing to rules with time limits for party and arbitrator actions, by using only a single arbitrator or, even in a tripartite panel arbitration, agreeing with the other side, after proceedings get underway and comfort develops with the chair/ umpire or another particular arbitrator, to empower only that single arbitrator to resolve either the entire case or all pre-hearing issues or one particular issue such as damages. If the parties want an appeal, an appeal panel with a mandate for expedited resolution, can be agreed as part of the process in most major arbitral organizations. The parties can even act to exercise some control on outcome by agreeing to variants of "high/low" or "baseball arbitration."
Utilizing a Special Master for discovery can also add control and reduce costs by allowing for immediate or near immediate, real-time resolution of issues by a trusted and experienced neutral who can devote the time to work with the parties toward consensual resolutions and quickly decide issues around which consent is not possible. Large numbers of sensitive documents can be reviewed quickly by a neutral without the necessity of involving the Judge.
Finally, the degree of control that these alternative dispute resolution methods can give parties to a dispute is also demonstrated by the use of these methods in combination. I have mediated to resolution a number of disputes that were in arbitration, and have served on arbitration panels where the parties engaged a mediator to resolve the dispute. While serving as a Special Master, parties have asked me to also serve as their Mediator to help them resolve their case entirely. Parties at the outset of a dispute can agree to a Med-Arb procedure in which a neutral will conduct a mediation to help them try to resolve the case, but if they cannot agree on a resolution, that neutral (or another) will resolve the dispute as the Arbitrator. Similarly, the parties can agree to an Arb-Med procedure in which the parties fully arbitrate a dispute before an Arbitrator, so that the parties can see how the evidence was presented by both sides, but the Arbitrator after writing the Award will delay issuing it, as that arbitrator (or another chosen neutral) attempts to bring about a mediated resolution.
All of these procedures can be used to speed resolution, reduce costs and maximize control over the procedure and outcome. I would be pleased to discuss any or all of them with you.
(September 2018)
==============================
====
THE OUTCOME IS THE MESSAGE
Only rarely does civil litigation truly require battle all the way through to ultimate adjudication. In the meantime, the parties are spending enormous sums to litigate motion after motion, plow through enormous document and deposition discovery, retain and depose experts and prepare for a trial that is unlikely to ever occur or, if it does occur, comes only after all parties have already spent enormous treasure. Within the past few weeks, more than one prominent judge has said to me that they have been shocked at the waste of resources on both sides. There are some sensible answers.
Don't Wait to Mediate. What constitutes smart early mediation can obviously differ for different cases. Plainly, each party must have a some prior opportunity to understand the case and its prospects. There may be some cases where a party reasonably believes that there is a sure-fire early dispositive motion, and cannot settle before that motion is heard. However, some cases cry out for early mediation: mergers and acquisitions disputes, business relationship breakups, battles over representations and warrantees, hotel/ real estate disputes, pharmaceutical compound development disputes, business contract battles, employment disputes, insurance coverage cases and trade secrets cases come immediately to mind. Class actions can also be amenable to earlier resolution than actually occurs in most cases. Even if the case cannot settle at the first attempt, a good mediator will persevere and try to keep discussions going to bring about resolution later in the case. And even a mediation commenced late in a case is better than no mediation at all.
Special Master. A good special master can save the parties motion and discovery expense by helping them cut through discovery disputes and cost-effectively get necessary discovery completed. When parties see what a special master can help them accomplish, it can show them the way to mediation as a next step. I recently mediated a case to settlement at the request of both parties after first serving as their discovery special master.
Arbitration. Even without a contractual arbitration clause, the parties to a dispute can still agree to arbitrate rather than litigate a dispute before a sophisticated neutral or panel of neutrals under rules that would streamline timing and costs and preserve confidentiality. Alternatively, there are also two step procedures, such as Mediation-Arbitration (Med-Arb), where mediation immediately procedes arbitration, or Arbitration-Mediation (Arb-Med), where just before an already completed arbitration award is released to the parties, there is an attempt at mediating the dispute to a consensual resolution based on both sides having witnessed the entire arbitration hearing. Most clients want their lawyers to help them achieve a positive outcome for their dispute. Fees, expenses, publicity, time investment and risk are all part the outcome calculus. ( June 2019)