MEDIATION

Mediation is a simple concept of listening, speaking and understanding.  Bring both sides of a dispute together.  With the assistance of a neutral mediator, enable them to speak their mind fully, and to hear and understand each other.  Help them find the common ground that may have existed all along, but was hidden by anger, or fear, or misunderstanding.  That is the essence of The Justice Center of Atlanta's mediation program.

People with adversarial views talk together in the presence of a trained, neutral mediator who facilitates discussion. All parties work to reach agreement and find solutions that everyone can support.

Characteristics of the process include:

		Discovery of mutual interests.
		Joint problem solving.
		Orientation to the future.
		Creative, flexible solutions.
		Respect for and sharing of differing expertise by the parties and representatives.
		Control of the process by a neutral mediator.
		Control of the outcome in the hands of the parties involved instead of a neutral third party.

What kinds of disputes may be resolved through mediation ?  Mediation may be used for any type of dispute.  Here are examples of a few types of cases successfully resolved at JCA.  Disputes involving:

Contracts Educational Issues      Parent/Teacher      Teacher/Teacher      Student/Teacher      Teacher/Administrator      Special Education issues Business Fights Juvenile Cases Lender/Borrower Neighborhood Disagreements       Noise       Pets       Nuisances       Land use Real Estate       Sales       Commissions       Adverse Possession Landlord / Tenant       Security deposits       Repairs       Damages Vandalism Workplace Problems       Employer/employee grievances       Contracts       Terminations       Discrimination       Harassment

"It was amazing.  We had been fighting for years with our neighbor about wanting to build on to our home.  We had both hired lawyers in preparation for a long court battle.  In two hours at the Justice Center we realized that is was not an all-or-nothing situation.  My neighbor really only wanted to be reassured that we wouldn't block her bedroom view of the park.  A slight modification to my plans solved the problem.  We broke ground on construction the same week.  And we're now on speaking terms with each other."  James Duncan, Atlanta, GA