The  “Likability Factor,” A Mediation Myth

After 35 years attending voluntary (“consensual”) private mediations and court-ordered settlement conferences, I thought I pretty much knew why certain mediators almost always settled the case, and mediocre mediators didn’t.  The good ones were patient, creative, and knowledgeable about the law.  They also worked incredibly hard the day of the mediation and were able to maintain their energy and optimism even when the lawyers and their clients withered.