Jeff Krivis's book, How to Make Money as a Mediator, is not about how to make money as a mediator. It is about how to build a successful mediation practice: working hard, being fair, being worthy of the trust that clients place in you, being true to who you are, building relationships, closing the deal. Really, this book is about what every good mediator strives to do: creating value for your clients.
One of my favorite parts of the book is the section entitled "The Best Investments Are In People and Place." Krivis emphasizes the need to find and invest in great people, who will represent you to the world.
I am very fortunate to have terrific people to work with. They add value for our clients in our litigation and mediation practices and have helped me build our practices. Having them to work with makes all the difference.
I still worry that, because most people calling themselves "mediators" these days are actually attorneys who took a 1-week or 2-week course in the subject, which basically equips them to do evaluative mediation *only*, that the general public will come to think that's the only kind of mediation there is.
ReplyDeleteAs a facilitative mediator with a Master's degree in Mediation and Conflict Studies, I often wonder how those in the Law profession would feel about it if I took a 1-week crash course in law...and started calling myself a lawyer.
Patricia:
ReplyDeleteLet me ask you this: what do you hope to achieve by posting this on my blog in response to my thoughts on the value of surrounding one's self with good people, people who add value for one's self and one's client? Your comment seems strangely incongruous and rather aggressive. Not what one might expect from someone with a Masters degree in Mediation and Conflict Studies.
As an attorney representing plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of civil litigation matters for the last 17 years, I have mediated hundreds of cases. My education and experience in law and mediation allow me to use both evaluative and facilitative methods, as required in a given case. I leave it to my clients to judge my effectiveness.