Who Determines the Outcome of a Mediation?
The parties determine their own solutions. Studies show that this is one of the reasons so many people find mediation more satisfying than any other method of conflict resolution. Through mediation, the parties are able to communicate directly with one another and to gain understandings they might not have obtained otherwise. They are empowered to arrive at their own solutions, rather than being subjected to a decision imposed on them by the “Law”, a judge, or a jury. After all, it is the parties who are the experts on the situation at hand, and it is they who are most qualified to decide what outcome is in their best interests.
