The biggest problem I hear and see in mediations isn't the law or lack of legal skills.

It's people.

Usually it sounds something like...

"That lawyer (on the other side) is aggressive."
"They're not serious about settling this, acting like that."

I've heard it as a barrister, representing clients.

I hear it as a mediator.

I've also walked away wishing I'd handled something differently.
I still do occasionally.

And I know the goal isn't perfection.
It's recognising what's happening before you automatically react, so you have time to choose your response.

Years in practice taught me how to prepare and advocate a legal case.
They didn't teach me how to prepare for challenging people.
I had to learn that for myself.

By the time someone becomes aggressive or disrespectful, it's too late to decide how you're going to operate.
That decision is made before you walk into the room.

That's why my pre-mediation conversations don't just focus on process.
They also prepare people, so they don't spend the mediation reacting to pressure or other people's behaviour.

They walk into the mediation better prepared to influence themselves, the process and the outcome.

✅ If you've ever walked away from a mediation wishing you'd handled the people better...

→→Start with the presentation "How to Deal with Aggressive, Disrespectful People Without Looking Weak."
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gA9szdVq

→→→Then work through the practical 4-step system "Don't Give Aggressive, Disrespectful People What They Want. Do This Instead."
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gKuvAq_K