Racing at the highest levels isn’t won on speed alone. It’s won on preparation, strategy, communication, and the ability to keep making good decisions when the race stops going according to plan. Mediation works the same way.
The difference between a mediator who moves cases forward and one who simply occupies a room is not effort. It’s the quality of preparation, the depth of engagement, and the willingness to keep working the problem when the obvious approaches have failed. Most cases that don’t settle don’t fail because the gap was too wide. They fail because someone stopped working.
Michael’s approach to every mediation is built on four commitments: Preparation, Teamwork, Understanding, and Follow Through.
Preparation
Preparation is more than just reading submitted materials — though not everyone even does that. It means understanding the law. Knowing the tendencies of the judge and the lawyers on the case. Doing everything possible in advance so that when the parties arrive, the work of resolution can begin immediately. Michael will be prepared. He will know the issues. He will know the law. He will help you make the most of your time together.
Teamwork
Mediators are neutral to the dispute, but a good mediator is still your teammate. Michael will support you and your client in mediation. He will be a sounding board for your theories and help assess them. He will press the other side with the best arguments you can muster. He will support your voice to help your client weigh the difficult options before them.
Understanding
Whether individual or entity, litigants are complex. Listening, really listening, builds the trust necessary to work effectively with a mediator. That trust enables the parties to identify the best course forward, which may or may not be settlement. Asking the right questions and genuinely hearing the answers are rare skills. They are what allow Michael to help parties make the most educated decision available to them.
Follow Through
For any number of reasons, the best path forward may not emerge in a single session. Many mediators take that as a license to give up. Michael does not. He will work the problem until the right approach becomes clear, even if that happens after the session is over.