Defining your purpose, whether at life, work, a task, or at play, goes a long way to achieving a sense of success and satisfaction. Those without a sense of purpose are generally adrift, often dissatisfied and unhappy. So what does purpose have to do with mediation and negotiation? Everything! Where you can define purpose in all facets of your life, you can achieve better outcomes on all fronts. With a lack of purpose or direction in life, your dissatisfaction will spill over

There is an ingrained misconception that mediation is simply about splitting the difference between competing offers. To make that point, I recently attended a conference, and one speaker stated that her job as an umpire was much different than that of a mediator. To support that claim, the speaker indicated that mediators split the difference during mediation, while her job was to evaluate and value claims. To say that I was a bit disappointed by that comparison would be an

Lawyers and mediators share a common goal, namely, we are problem solvers. How we go about solving problems might be different, but the skills needed for our mission are generally the same. Mediation Problem Solving What makes a good problem solver? For starters, communication is an essential skill for connecting with people and solving problems. Likewise, having some subject-matter expertise for the issue at hand will certainly help. Finally, some old-fashioned curiosity, wi

May happens to be lawyer wellness month. If the month of May can accomplish one thing, hopefully it will raise awareness for just how important health and wellness is for the legal profession. Simply taking the time to consider the obvious benefits of self-care would be a gigantic step in the right direction. Having an open mind to try to implement some simple changes in June would be the next fantastic result. The Impact of Lawyer Wellness At first glance, it seems counter-i

Let's clear up some misconceptions right away about mindfulness. Mindfulness is not a religion, a yoga mat is not required, nor do you need chanting, candles or a waterfall. Mindfulness is simply being aware in the present moment without judgment. In the end, being mindful is only awareness, perception, and a state of mind. Mindfulness Basics Mindfulness has a long and ancient history but is backed by modern neuroscience. Studies have shown that mindfulness has positive effec

A voluntary resolution of a dispute often hinges on the connection you have with the other side. Developing or enhancing your connection with the other side will go a long way to settling your dispute. Mediation is Joint Problem Solving I would propose that settlement is nothing more than collaboration and joint problem solving. In the end, you want to be able to work together in a creative way to solve what ends up being a common problem. People rarely want to work together

Inaugural blog posting for Meaningful Mediation. Ethical, mindful, dispute resolution is a passion. When done right, it is transformative.