Mediation: Where Have All the Settlements Gone?

• Author: David B. Williams
• Pages: 419-427



Mediation

WhereHaveAlltheSelementsGone

David B. Williams*

A. INT RODUCTION

Iwas calledto the barin andentered practiceas alitigator inthe

halcyondaysoftrialworkWithanexceptionallybusymentorfrommy

rstyearofpract iceIwast ryingveor sixcases betweenJanuar yand

Juneandanequivalentnumberint hefallsessiontoyearendInabusy

litigationpracticethatwasnotuncommonatthattimeThatsjustwhat

wedidwetried casesThose casestended tobeshorterlasti ngtwoor

threedaysor alongercase lastedvetoeight daysItwasunusual for

a case to last many weeks as is the norm nowHoweversomewhere

along the line in the laer part of the eighties a nd certainly into the

nineties there was a sea change in the area of disputeres olutionThe

forumbywhichcivildisputescametoberesolvedshiedfromthet rial

tomediationVirtuallyeverycasewasmediatedandthereseemedtobe

aloveaairwith theconceptof mediationwhetherone wasaplainti 

ordefendantscounselForawhilemediatorscarriedsuccessratesof

percentintermsofsuccessfu lresolutionatmediationOverthelastve

 ManagingPart nerofHarriso nPensaandaseniorlit igatordesignatedbytheLaw

SocietyofUpperCa nadaasaSpeciali stincivillit igationIgrateful lyacknowledge

thecontributio nsofLindsayKirka narticlings tudentinourocewhoconducted

somebackgroundres earchregardi nglawyerscurr entexperiencesi ntheUnited

StatesandCanadaw ithregardtomediation sandtomyAssistantK ristinaMac-

Donaldwhoassistedi ntheeditinga ndpreparationofthi sopinionpiece