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Mediator Neutrality: Seeing Both Sides

By Rachel Fishman Green
December 01, 2003

The theory underlying our adversarial legal system is that each person will hire a bright, skilled warrior who will see the situation completely from the perspective of the client, then present the strongest case possible to the judge. The judge will get the best information from each side, but will be neutral. Then the judge will see the situation “from above” and will render a decision that metes out justice and wisdom. But because of our overloaded and burdened court system, most judges do not have the time to get to know the people behind the caseload. People who go through the court system often end up feeling the judge did not really hear their story, and that they were not given a chance to speak.

Mediation gives clients the chance to be heard. One of the underlying assumptions of mediation is that people are the experts about their lives, their families and their needs. No expert will ever know or care about their issues as much as they do – because only they and their family will live with any agreements made.

How a Mediator Works

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