Mark W. Batchelder Attorney at Law Fort Worth, Texas 817-926-5555 Attorney Practice Areas: Adoption Child Custody - Support - Visitation - Modification Collaborative Law (Divorce - Family Law) Divorce Grandparents Rights Incorporation - LLC - Partnership - Business Contracts Mediation Mediation Training Name Change for Adult or Child Negotiation Powers of Attorney: Durable - General - Medical Wills - Trusts - Probate About Mediators: I believe that a mediator who knows how to help the disputing parties feel empowered to find their own solutions to their problems is a better mediator than one who merely tells people what to do. A mediator should not be afraid to help people deal with their emotions. People often have to get past their emotional hangups before they are ready to negotiate in a more business-like manner. The point of mediation is to be more in control of your own destiny. The idea is to avoid having an authority figure (like a Judge or an Attorney) deciding your future for you. If a person feels that the mediated agreement was imposed on him or her, then he or she is less likely to abide by that agreement in the future. But if a person feels that the mediated agreement was his or her own deal, then he or she is more likely to continue to abide by that agreement. When people abide by their agreements, there is less need for expensive enforcement lawsuits in the future. A good test question for a mediator is: Will the mediator allow the parties to talk to each other in the same room during the mediation? If the answer is "no" then that mediator is probably not comfortable helping emotional people work out their own deal!