When a client walks into a lawyer's office and begins to recount seemingly endless details of a legal problem, the lawyer usually begins mediation preparation. Today, a lawyer familiar with the mediation process will carefully note and discuss the client's interests and needs and may approach resolution of the problem from a different angle.
Lawyers are there to solve problems.
Traditionally, lawyers have filed lawsuits as the expected mode of dispute resolution. However, lawyers and clients have learned that litigation often escalates emotions, increases costs, confuses the dispute, and delays resolution of the problem. Further, litigation almost always results in a win for one side and a loss for the other. Mediation, in comparison, is less expensive, significantly faster, and provides a solution that both sides agree upon. As a result, mediation has become an increasingly attractive method of resolving disputes.