Article Extract:

A mere fifteen years ago, the term mediation was confused regularly with meditation. Much has changed. The courts, frequently derided as overcrowded and expensive for individual litigants and the public, now rely on mediation to resolve cases and reduce dockets. Attorneys and judges are advocates; many have become mediators themselves.

Disputants generally express satisfaction with the process. It is not surprising that mediation-along with other ADR processes-has achieved institutionalization in the courts, public agencies and the private and nonprofit sectors.

We are now embarking on the next stage: professionalization. There are increasing references to "dispute professionals" or "professional mediators." Presumably these terms signal something more than simply being paid for dispute resolution services or achieving popular recognition of the title “mediator.”