Ohio Sexual Harassment attorney

Mediation

“It has always been my belief, that as attorneys, our chief responsibility to the community is to help resolve disputes. We are trained to understand the particulars of any given problem, know the importance of confidentiality and have developed the skills necessary to provide meaningful help to the people in our community.
This is true whether the person in need is an individual or a collection of people who work as a company.”
Jeffrey C. Pettys, Attorney At Law

Upon request, I would welcome the opportunity and be honored to help resolve your sexual harassment matter through mediation.

 

What is Mediation?

Mediation is the most successful and equitable form of alternative dispute resolution available to the legal community. Mediation is a process in which a professionally trained, neutral third party works with disputing parties to negotiate a conflict or agreement. The job of the mediator is to facilitate respectful and productive communication between the parties to help reach a voluntary, negotiated resolution of the dispute. This approach is particularly useful and beneficial in sexual harassment cases. Sexual harassment cases are emotional, hurtful and embarrassing. Litigating such cases is difficult for both sides and can result in no real winners. For the Plaintiff (alleged victim of the harassment) pursuing a sexual harassment case can be embarrassing, hurtful, stressful and costly. The same is true for the employer or alleged harasser.

What are the Advantages of Mediation?

Confidentiality: Lawsuits are a matter of public record; however, what occurs at mediation is kept confidential by agreement.  Moreover, whether mediation occurs before or after a lawsuit, the communications generated are usually inadmissible during any litigation.

Time and money:  Mediation is substantially less expensive and less time consuming, than litigation.

Speed:  Mediation can result in a much faster resolution than traditional methods of resolution and litigation. Instead of negotiating over a long period of time, mediation focuses everyone's attention on settlement on the day specified for the mediation. This concentration of time and effort, can improve the likelihood of an early resolution.

Validation: All parties involved are given the opportunity to have their positions articulated and understood, and to understand the positions of the other parties.  

Empowerment:  The process is fair and neutral.  The parties are allowed to decide for themselves whether and how they would like to resolve a situation.  

Quality of resolution: Studies show that parties who enter into voluntary agreements are more likely to adhere to the conditions than if they are forced to comply with court-ordered resolutions or commitments.

Decision to mediate

The decision to mediate a disputed matter can occur prior to or subsequent to the filing of a legal action. The parties can agree to the mediation, or a judge can order the parties to submit the matter to mediation.

The following is a summary of the steps followed to facilitate the process.

1. The parties and/or their legal representatives agree to submit the matter to mediation. The legal representatives contact Attorney Jeffrey C. Pettys with a request to initiate the mediation process. Additionally, the representatives provide Attorney Jeffrey C. Pettys with a written summary of relevant information regarding the parties, case information, and attorneys involved. The matter will be scheduled for a mutually convenient time and place for the mediation session. Following scheduling, the mediator confirms the appointment in writing and requests submission of necessary documents to be used in the mediation. The mediation is conducted with all necessary parties present. In the event
   of a resolution, the settlement is journalized on a form prepared by the mediator at the conclusion of the mediation, and is signed by all parties and representatives.
   
   

Certain states may have statutory provisions regarding mediation. Where applicable, the statutory provision of the state where the dispute arose will be followed.