Is it not funny how as a society, when we are wronged, we immediately turn to suing?

It is understandable to feel what we feel during conflict; hurt, anger, fear etc. However, litigation is NOT always the answer. The court process is highly useful in society for certain conflicts such as those involving criminal activity or public interest situations.

In reality, the world's most precious asset is TIME. The second most precious asset? MONEY. The biggest disadvantages of the court process are based on time and money. Litigation eats a lot of time because of its obedience to the set procedures contained in the law. The more the time is consumed in a court case, the more your money is spent.

This is where out-of-court settlements come in. An out-of-court settlement is a formal arrangement entered into by conflicting people to resolve an issue without the involvement of a court. One of the ways this can be achieved is through Mediation.

Mediation is a form of conflict resolution that promotes intentional communication between conflicting parties with the assistance of a neutral party, the mediator. The mediator then assists the parties to work together and come up with a solution that satisfies all the people involved.

The advantages of mediation over the court process include;

• Taking your case to mediation saves more time.
• You will spend less money in the long run.
• Agreements entered into through mediation are creative as there is no rigidity in how a conflict can be solved.
• Mediation is known to be a path to a both-gain solution for parties as they solve their conflict through voluntary communication with each other.
• The conflicting parties save their relationship from being ruined by the conflict. This is especially important to conflicting parties who belong to the same family, are friends or even business partners.

In the end, courts are important in our society. Their importance cannot be overlooked. Be that as it may, not all cases should go through the court process.

Interested in mediation? Book a consultation with us and we will be happy to assist you.