So, I had an epiphany…a client called as said, “thank you for staying on the phone with me and listening to me vent, my lawyer wouldn’t have done that!” It was then it hit me…mediators are the nurses of the legal world. OK, so follow my train of thought. IN the medical world, the nurses are the ones who do the “dirty work”, they are the individuals with the bed side manner who sit and talk to the patients, get to know them, etc. The doctors come in, do the job and get out.
In comes the mediator…in the legal world, the mediators do the “dirty work” – we sit in the same room with both clients, we listen to their story, we let them cry, we let them yell…they call us at 9:00 pm on a Friday night looking for someone to talk to, we support them, we are their shoulder to cry on, we have husband on one shoulder and wife on the other…
Compare this to a family law attorney – if you have ever been represented by a family law attorney, you know the difference. There is no “free” phone calls, they get in, get the job done and get out.
Now, I am not saying we (mediators) are better, I am just saying we are different. I respect the attorneys for being able to get in and get out, it is a craft and it is necessary, just as doctors are necessary. But, for myself, it is not fulfilling, which is why I am a mediator and not a litigator. And I guess…why I would choose to be a nurse above being a doctor. I like connecting with people.
But my point of this blog is just how parallel nurses – mediators and doctors – lawyers are. It is fascinating to me for some reason. 🙂
by: Jennifer Segura
