Eskhill & Co |  Green House at Eskhill | 15A Inveresk Village | 
  Musselburgh  EH21 7TD 
 
 
 
  Why Mediate?
  Put quite simply the answer is that mediation works. It works in resolving 
  workplace, employment or boardroom disputes, consumer complaints, 
  commercial disagreements, or construction, property and farming issues - 
  see more in typical mediations. It provides a setting in which parties get to 
  understand better and be understood better. Then, with the help of the 
  mediator, they work together to explore options for resolution. It is an 
  interest centred and party responsive way to resolve disputes. A settlement 
  in mediation is the parties' determination, and not that of a third party, 
  which results in higher rates of compliance in mediation than, for example, 
  in court actions.   
  Benefits of Mediation
  The benefits of mediation will be different for different disputes but the 
  following are some that are typically associated with mediation:
  
  Mediation is less costly than taking a dispute through litigation and 
  compared with most formal processes from workplace to the courts 
  it can save time and legal costs. 
  
  A mediation can usually be arranged and completed within a month 
  whereas most formal processes such as court, arbitration and 
  tribunals can take many months or even years.
  
  The proceedings of mediation are confidential and the outcome is 
  within the control of the parties.
  
  Most mediations will reach a settlement within a mediation day and 
  if they don't many settle soon after. 
  
  The parties control what may be decided in mediation; unlike 
  judicial and quasi-judicial processes where the parties have handed 
  over decision making to a third party.
  
  Mediations have a high rate of settlement - in our experience over 4 
  out of 5 settle. Those which don't often find benefit in the mediation 
  proceedings which inform future decisions.
  
  Mediation is flexible, party responsive and interest centred. The 
  mediator, with the parties' help, can design the process to suit the 
  nature of the dispute and the parties' availability. 
  
  Mediation can repair damaged relationships (personal or business) 
  where that is in the parties' interests where other dispute resolution 
  processes tend to leave relationships beyond repair.
  
  Mediation seeks outcomes that are in the parties' best interests and 
  can be win-win but other processes, based on rights in law, usually 
  result in a winner and a loser - or even two losers.
  
  Mediation can achieve better and sometimes creative solutions. The 
  parties have an opportunity to explore ways forward in a way that a 
  judicial system cannot. 
  
  As a voluntary process the parties may withdraw from the process at 
  any stage but experience shows that this is exceptional.
  The mediating way: 
  In our fifteen years of facilitating mediations we have learnt that it is 
  important to meet parties informally first to discuss the process and so we 
  offer a free initial consultation. Knowing more about the nature of the 
  dispute we can propose the best design for the mediation and give a fee 
  estimate. The process is likely to include pre-mediation sessions with each 
  party and possibly their professional advisers followed by a mediation day 
  which can be split across more than one session.  If you would like to get 
  an idea of a typical process please visit our Mediation Process page. 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Mediation
  Mediation is a conversation between two or more people that 
  disagree led by a neutral, trained third person. 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
Find out more 
  Why not have an initial, free consultation with us? There's absolutely no 
  obligation. Find out how we work and what we can do to help you resolve 
  a problem involving two parties. 
  There were complex legal issues involved. Mediation provided a platform 
  to test the other side's legal case in a co-operative setting rather than an 
  adversarial one. I think that type of discussion would have occurred prior 
  to litigating the issues in court but it was much more effective to have all 
  parties in one room, get instruction quickly, and conduct things on a face 
  to face basis. Sometimes wires can be crossed or people do not express 
  themselves the way they intend when corresponding only in writing or 
  on the phone - you cannot put a value on face to face discussion.
  Party's Professional Adviser Feedback
  Conflict flows from life. . . . Rather than seeing conflict as a threat, we 
  can understand it as providing opportunities to grow and to increase our 
  understanding of ourselves, of others, of our social structures. Conflicts 
  in relationships at all levels are the way life helps us to stop, assess, and 
  take notice. One way to truly know our humanness is to recognize the 
  gift of conflict in our lives." 
  John Paul Lederach
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  Mediation, Facilitation and Coaching