Most lawyers would say, if asked, that the difference between mediation and a judicial settlement conference is about five hours: Judges tend to schedule settlement conferences to two-hour sessions and mediations tend to take all day. This is true. But the reason it is true is that mediation is a fundamentally different process from a judge-directed settlement, and that different process takes time to unfold.
One way to illuminate the difference between settlement conferences and mediation is to articulate the different roles mediators play: Neutral Evaluator, Agent of Reality, Active Listener, Disputant’s Confidante, Negotiating Coach, Creative Problem Solver, and Trusted Advisor. Settlement judges do some of these things, too, but their institutional role as judges constrains them from doing others. Even if judges gave more time to conducting a settlement conference, it would not be like a mediation.
Neutral Evaluation
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
