One way that the parties in a lawsuit can reach a settlement agreement without having to go through the time and expense of a trial is to go to mediation. Mediation is “[a] method of nonbinding dispute resolution involving a neutral third party who tries to help the disputing parties reach a mutually agreeable solution.” Black’s Law Dictionary 1070 (9th ed. 2009). The parties can use mediation to resolve the entire case or to reach an agreement on particular issues so as to narrow the amount of things that need to be litigated at trial. In some states, mediation is mandatory prior to trial.