Mediation is increasingly being utilized across all areas of the law, including matters involving personal injury. This makes sense, as mediation can be a very attractive option for all involved parties. In fact, mediation is so effective that parties are often required to go through it first before a case can proceed to litigation.
For this post, we want to talk about how mediation works within the context of personal injury law in CA. While the information here is a solid place for you to get started with this topic, remember that the best way to learn about this and other matters involving personal injury is to speak with a qualified attorney. For now, here are the basics of personal injury mediation.
The Mediation Process
As a state, mediation is an alternative dispute resolution approach to litigation. It allows both parties to come together and work out a compromise with the assistance of a neutral third party known as a mediator.
The process starts with each party stating their needs and/or offers. In most cases, this is communicated directly as all parties (including the mediator) confer within the same room. When the dispute is particularly heated or due to specific legal instances, however, parties can choose to remain in separate rooms. The mediator ferries back and forth between parties until a resolution can be met.
If a compromise can be reached, the parties can proceed with the agreement and the matter is considered resolved. If the negotiations fail however, the next step is usually litigation in a court of law.
Benefits of Mediation
To put it in simple terms, mediation can save you a lot of time and money. It offers both parties more control in how they want the proceedings to unfold. Another benefit is that, once a matter is resolved via mediation, the dispute is closed for good as there is no appealing or overturning the verdict. Mediation is so effective that it is increasingly being used to resolve disputes involving defective product cases, slip and fall accidents, vehicle accident lawsuits, and more.
There you have it, this is a very brief rundown of how mediation can help you with your personal injury matters in CA. As always, we at the Law Offices of Dean Petrulakis invite you to call us directly for more information. We offer free initial consultations, so don’t delay and call our offices today at (209) 528-0404.