One of the benefits of a being both a mediator and an advocate is the opportunity to view other mediators at work and try to employ what they do that is effective and avoid what is not. I recently had a mediation where the mediator announced his expertise in the substantive area — thereby losing a substantial amount of his role as mediator — and bragged about his settlement percentage. The case neither settled nor accomplished much of anything else. So what are the elements of a good mediation. Here is a link to one view that I think is worth contemplating.
