How Mediation Aids Contract Disputes in Beverly Hills CA

With expensive real estate, intellectual property and new venture possibilities, it is not uncommon for contract disputes in Beverly Hills California to arise. Even though the parties may have a written agreement, things may go wrong with a contract or a problem may arise that the parties never thought of. Mediation can help resolve contract disputes in Beverly Hills California without all of the negative aspects of litigation. For this reason, mandatory mediation clauses are common in Beverly Hills contracts.

Mediation is a process of guided negotiations that is led by a third party neutral, called the mediator. The process usually begins in a general session in which the mediator gives each party the opportunity to freely express how he or she believes the dispute arose and the issues that are currently in conflict. The parties often then break off into separate groups that the mediator meets one on one.

Rather than focusing on the differences between the parties, the mediator often approaches the case by getting the parties to discuss their shared interests, such as avoiding negative publicity and maintaining a continued business relationship. Once the groundwork is laid, the parties and the mediator discuss the underlying issues and the contributing factors that led to the current dispute.

The parties and the mediator works together to devise creative solutions to the problems. While in litigation the parties are pitted against each other, the parties in mediation collaborate. They collaboratively negotiate their differences until they reach a settlement of the existing case.

At the end of mediation, the parties have often learned how to strengthen and revitalize their relationship. If a future problem arises, they have learned valuable skills to know how to resolve it. They also know that mediation is an option.