For the final part of this blog mini-series, I want to lay out why I believe conducting mediations remotely or through video conferencing technology is a wonderful option for all participants.
The first reason is convenience. In 2020, people are more efficient than they have ever been in the history of our planet. Technology has allowed people to multi-task at the highest level ever known, demanding immediate results. Traditionally for a mediation, the participants try to arrive early, leaving their workspace sometimes more than an hour prior to start time in order to drive and park. Oftentimes, opposing parties are separated by long distances, and someone likely has to fly, stay the night in a hotel, and then proceed to the regular routine of drive and park.
Being able to conduct a mediation from Palm Beach County, with one side appearing by video from Miami-Dade and the other side appearing by video from Tampa is a convenience that is so easy with today’s technology. Not to mention, this allows the participants to be more effective with their pre-mediation time, as well as reduce costs.
The next reason why video conference mediation makes sense is because it is a cost-saver. Parties to the lawsuit, through their attorneys, incur serious costs for mediations due to the hourly rate, customary two-hour minimum, and administrative fees charged by some companies. For the way things currently work, these charges make sense – there is overhead for the kitchen, the space, the comfort offered once you finally arrive to the mediation, and making sure the mediator isn’t “wasting” his/her time on a one-hour mediation, since they, too, have to plan in travel and pre-mediation time.
Saving costs and being more efficient is something that every person would be in favor of, given two equal options. In this situation, being able to mediate from your own office with your client there by your side, paying a lower rate, and still having all the important elements of mediation available to you are things you get while giving up travel time and costs, a potentially uncomfortable environment, and the amenities of a kitchen.
For the cases that make sense for you and your client, consider video conferences by Marzuk Mediation for your dispute resolution needs.