The world shifted. The kitchen table now doubles as the office and the classroom. Business travel is an oxymoron. Zoom happy hours have supplanted a night out at a favorite watering hole, no more mindlessly grabbing from a communal bowl of nuts with friends and colleagues.  Some changes may be permanent—perhaps even welcome. Think: business conventions, time squandered commuting, or shared bowling shoes at the local lanes. Alongside these rapid shifts, conflict, in its many forms, continues. Therefore, we professionals carry on serving our clients as they seek assistance resolving the many difficulties conflict always presents.

Particularly in these fraught times, mediation is a natural enclave for parties handling all types of conflict in their lives. According to the New York Times, as of this writing, in New York City alone, nearly 3,000 small businesses have closed permanently since March 1. And estimates are, this number may swell significantly—to nearly a third of total small businesses. No doubt there will be a vast need to renegotiate and, yes, mediate, service provider contracts, leases, business partnerships, bankruptcy details, to say nothing of the fallout on the private lives of the owners and employees of those many small businesses. This is not to propose that mediators should traffic in the misery of those affected by COVID-19 and the ensuing economic and personal devastation. Quite the contrary, that mediators are uniquely positioned to assist parties in this overwhelming moment of crisis.

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