Why Mediate

To Our Lawyer Friends:
“Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser–in fees, expenses and waste of time. As a peacemaker, the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.” Abraham Lincoln

To Litigants:
“I was never ruined but twice: once when I lost a lawsuit and once when I won one.” –Voltaire

In 281 B.C., King Pyrrhus of Epirus (c. 318 – 272) landed in Italy with 20 elephants and 25,000-30,000 men to fight the Romans. Pyrrhus won the first battle, and then the second. However, he lost a large number of his men. When he was offered congratulations on the victories, he replied “One more victory against the Romans and we will be ruined.” The term Pyrrhic Victory, meaning a victory that comes at too high a price, comes from these devastating battles. If you gain a “victory” in litigation, at what price will it come? In stress? In time? In money? Is this how you want to spend the next few months or years of your life?