Warner Executive Partner Jonathan Lauderbach wrote an article featured in the Grand Rapids Business Journal titled “Mediation Is Win-Win Option for Civil Disputes During Pandemic.”
In the article, Lauderbach writes about how trial courts have experienced a backlog of civil disputes even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic – with courts now suspending jury trials due to the recent omicron surge. Despite the new and innovative technologies Michigan’s trial courts have adopted, these backlogs are inevitable, leaving litigants and lawyers seeking resolution outside the courtroom.
An option that has grown popular over the past decade is mediation, or facilitation. This process involves a neutral mediator who can help the parties strike their own settlement on their own terms by getting all parties in the dispute to talk, identify the pros and cons, and assess the risks of litigation vs. a negotiated settlement. Ultimately, the resolution is something agreed upon by the parties and something they own vs. being handed down by someone else.
To read the full Grand Rapids Business Journal article and the top 10 benefits of mediation, click here.
Jonathan Lauderbach is the executive partner leading Warner’s Midland office. A former Midland County Circuit Judge, he concentrates his practice in commercial litigation and also regularly serves as a mediator in civil disputes. Learn more about his practice here.
