After 13 wonderful years, it was time for a website refresh.

End of year. Time to reflect and take stock. Time to recharge and reset.

​This past July my wife and I had the opportunity to hike a portion of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. For eight days we walked an average of 25 km per day in 40-degree Celsius heat. While the experience was physically challenging, it was spiritually rejuvenating and rewarding.

No one begins a dispute thinking they might be wrong. This sense of moral and legal certainty is usually coupled with high expectations.

Most of us don’t go to the symphony to watch the conductor or to a sporting event to see the referees in action, but imagine the chaos without their participation.

In a recent blog post I focused on ten signs that your mediation may be headed for trouble. One of those indicators was power imbalance.

After a long and, at times, challenging day at the mediation table, the parties have been rewarded with a resolution. But, the work is not done. As Samuel Goldwyn once said: “An oral contract is as good as the paper it's written on.”

Is there a more polarizing topic in mediation practice today than the use of the joint session?

Advances in technology have revolutionized the way we communicate and, to a large extent, relegated face-time to the virtual world. We rely on our devices – computers, tablets, smartphones – to communicate.

Mediation presents an opportunity for disputing parties to engage in purposeful dialogue that can effect change. Changes in opinion, understanding and perspective can have a groundbreaking impact on the mediation process and the outcome of negotiations. Below, I discuss three mediation game changers and their potential impact on effecting change.

One of the most interesting parts of my job as a mediator is the opportunity to connect with an endlessly diverse clientele - it’s also one of the most challenging.

As the global market continues to expand and consumer options multiply, businesses can no longer rely on an exceptional product to succeed – they also need an exceptional reputation. We are living in a reputation economy.

Negotiations can go bad in a hurry for any number of reasons - clashing personalities, inflated egos, misunderstandings, incompatible priorities, negative emotions.