What Is Personal Injury Mediation?

Believe it or not, very few personal injury cases actually make it to trial in a courtroom like is often shown in movies and television. In fact, the majority of personal injury cases are settled out of court, often with the help of a process known as mediation. Personal injury mediation is a valuable tool for both sides of a case to resolve their issues without the expense and uncertainty of a court trial.
 

How Does Personal Injury Mediation Work?

Mediation is a voluntary settlement process where both parties and their respective attorneys meet to discuss settlement of the case. Mediations are conducted with the assistance of one or more trained mediators who are usually lawyers with experience in the area of the dispute.

Mediation sessions can be scheduled within a few weeks of a personal injury and most sessions last only a few hours or a day, depending on the type of case.

Benefits Of Personal Injury Mediation

There are several benefits of going through a personal injury mediation instead of going straight to trial. For example:

• Mediation is much faster and can start much sooner than a trial
• Professional mediators are fair and impartial
• All sessions are private and cannot legally be revealed outside the proceedings in accordance with California law.
• Mediation is far less expensive than a jury trial
• Both parties are more likely to get the results they want, and settlements can be paid in very short period of time

By contrast, lawsuits often take many months, or even years, to resolve with a trial. Additionally, juries are unpredictable, they may come back with a verdict that, despite the evidence, is the complete opposite of what a plaintiff or defendant is expecting.
 

What Happens If Mediation Fails?

An added bonus of trying personal injury mediation before going to trial is that, if mediation fails, the injured party can still take their case to court. In other words, there really is no downside to going the mediation route first.

At Quinnan Law we believe every client has a right to explore all of their options before making a decision about what course of action to take. To learn more about how we can help you resolve your personal injury case, please contact us today.