Mediation

To be a successful mediator you need to look far beyond the legal issues on both sides of a case. You need to understand the emotions that cloud client decision making and their willingness to meet on common ground.

Justice Sandra Schultz Newman has brought the most adversarial clients to mutual understanding in the toughest of cases. She developed her mediation skills early on in her career, spending nearly 20 years in a private legal practice as a family law attorney. Justice Sandra Schultz Newman then became known as a great negotiator as she helped attorneys and clients to come to terms on cases in her chambers when she served as a Judge for the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. And while she sat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Schultz Newman was recognized as one of the pros at bringing majority and minority opinions into line.

Even when emotions cloud the parties’ rational judgment, Justice Sandra Schultz Newman’s proven ability to bring divergent parties to agreement is what makes her a successful and sought after mediator today. Not only do lawyers feel confident in referring her mediation cases but their clients may be more likely to listen to Justice Sandra Schultz Newman knowing about her background on the bench.

Mediation is a voluntary process that assists parties in negotiating an agreeable solution to their dispute. Rather than imposing a binding decision, as in arbitration, a neutral mediator attempts to help the parties resolve their own conflict and come to resolution.

Mediation gives the parties an opportunity to be fully heard while educating the decision-makers on both sides of the disagreement. Mediation explores the possibility for trade-offs or creative solutions and provides an intermediary who can make offers and counteroffers more acceptable.