Thomas Valenti, P.C. January 2009
January Mediation News
 From Thomas Valenti, P.C.

What is Mediation?

Mediation is a process in which a neutral and impartial third party (the mediator) facilitates communication between negotiating parties which may enable them to reach an agreement. Mediation is an efficient and cost effective method for the resolution of both simple and complex cases.
 
 
 
 
"Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth."
 
~ Benjamin Disraeli

 
Traveling to Israel:  A Mediators Beyond Borders Assessment
 
Late this month, Mr. Valenti will be traveling to Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam ("Oasis of Peace" in Hebrew and Arabic), the only community in Israel where Jews and Palestinians, have made a determined choice to live, work and educate their children together in the spirit of equality. The village was founded in 1972 by Father Bruno Hussar, born Jewish and converted to Catholicism, he envisioned a community where Jews, Muslims and Christians would set an example for the region by creating an environment of trust, understanding and mutual respect.
 
The plan for the trip is to build relationships in the village, learn about the conflict resolution work they are doing there, and what it is they want to expand.  As a member of Mediators Beyond Borders, the group, including Mr. Valenti, will brainstorm with them about their vision/plans and how Mediators Beyond Borders might be able to support their work. 
 
Information and pictures from the trip will be shared in a future newsletter and on http://ValentiLaw.com

 
Click Below to See Our Online Commercial
 
 
 
From Our Blog...
 
The Obama Presidency and the Future of the Conflict Management Business: The Mediative Leader and the Activist Mediator

While premature to presume, there is cause to believe, or at least to hope, based on the model of his presidential campaign that the leadership style and governance of President-Elect Barack Obama will be a boon to conflict management practice and a valuable endorsement of mediation. 
 
How leaders lead---their style and approach to managing problems ----sets the tone and has direct influence on how the general public responds to and deals with conflict in every other context. There is a 'trickle down' effect. Leadership style in matters of state, be they domestic or geopolitical, directly influences the willingness or hesitancy of people to consider negotiation or mediation as a viable approach to settling an individual's divorce or business dispute in daily life. While seemingly wholly unrelated, people watch how leaders operate and follow their lead. 

Read more...

 
 

"Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make, not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large."  

-Gandhi

 
 

Crooked Conflicts: The Effects of Conflict Asymmetry in Mediation
 
In Crooked Conflicts: The Effects of Conflict Asymmetry in Mediation , researchers Jehn, Rupert, et al. hypothesized that most mediations are characterized by an asymmetry of conflict and that this asymmetry has an impact on the participants' experience of mediation. Parties to mediation who experience different levels of conflict are less satisfied with the process and outcome of mediation.

To test these hypotheses, the researchers distributed questionnaires to 27 pairs of participants in mediations of workplace disputes in the Netherlands. They found that in 10 of the 27 mediations the participants perceived different levels of task conflict (disagreement over the task being performed), and in 20 of the mediations the participants perceived different levels of relationship conflict (disagreement about personal issues). This translated into lower levels of satisfaction with the mediation caused in part by a greater sense of mediator bias. The researchers also found that in those mediations in which the participants experienced different levels of task conflict, those who perceived a lower level of conflict were less satisfied with both the process and the outcome.

 
 
"You don't get to control any outcome, only every choice you make along the way."

- Stephen C Paul
 
 

scales

Comments or Suggestions?
 
 
Email Me Today
Visit My Website at:  ValentiLaw.com

 
Family Law, Family Business Disputes, Employment Disputes, Probate Disputes
 

Check Out Our Blog!
 
Visit our blog by clicking here - you'll find arbitration and mediation articles, as well as some of the humorous side of law.