Rick Weiler

Many mediators are finding themselves with a little extra time on their hands during the pandemic. As others on this blog have noted there is a positive aspect to this as we are able to think more…

  Events last Friday have resulted in a harrowing few days for we mediators forced to move our practice online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve all been using Zoom. Zoom immediately…

  I’ve mentioned the use of Decision Trees by mediators previously on this blog. Here and here and here and here. So why do I keep banging on about them? Well, first, because I believe they are such…

  On January 3rd, the International Mediation Institute (IMI) released the first of eight documents reporting on the Global Pound Conference (GPC) events held in North America between 2016-17. IMI…

    "Impasse" - a situation in which no progress is possible, especially because of disagreement; a deadlock. Last time I focused on impasse in mediation, I noted that in my experience as a…

  Why does impasse occur in mediation? In my experience as a commercial mediator, impasse most often flows from a combination of cognitive biases and flawed risk assessments.  Cognitive Biases  The…

  A recent decision in the Ontario Superior Court arising from a mediated settlement agreement reminds mediators and lawyers alike that settlement agreements are contracts like any others and will…

    A developing story here in Canada has raised concerns about whether the public should have the right to know the terms of a high profile, mediated settlement agreement involving the government of…

    Let’s talk some more about mediation research. To recap, in his February 2019 post to this Blog, Michael Leathes argued for the need for more field-based research into mediation. He asked, “What…