Judge says: ‘Give it a chance’

‘In litigation there is only one winner – and that is generally the lawyer. As well as the high legal costs of litigation, there is the blight it occasions on the lives of the litigants over the protracted period until it reaches its final outcome. In the case of mediation, every party can be the winner. The costs can be small; a result may be achieved in a short passage of time; and personal relations may be salvaged. Mediation is not a universal panacea: it has its limitations and it is not always applicable. But where it is available, it should be given a chance.’