Serious question about mediation - what finally got me to try it

I was dead set against mediation for a contract dispute with my old landscaping partner in Renton. After 6 months of ugly emails back and forth, my attorney told me the legal fees were already at $4,200 and going nowhere. He showed me a simple cost breakdown comparing another month of litigation versus a half-day session at $300 each. That math was what changed my mind. We settled in 3 hours over Zoom and split the cost 50/50. Has anyone else here had a similar turnaround after seeing the numbers laid out flat?

2 comments

2 Comments

robin_wright7d ago

Dead set against mediation" is a pretty strong way to put it for a landscaping contract dispute. I mean, was someone going to lose their house over who gets to keep the lawn mower? $4,200 in legal fees is real money sure, but six months of emails over splitting costs on a half day Zoom call sounds like you both had too much time on your hands. I'm not saying it didn't work out fine for you, but framing this like some big life changing revelation feels a bit dramatic. Most people just pick up the phone and talk to each other without needing a mediator and a spreadsheet. Still, I get that some folks can't do that without a third party involved.

baker.ben6d ago

Six months of emails over a lawn mower, @robin_wright, sounds like the real dispute was who had more free time.