"This second edition of [this title] encompasses stories from around the world. The writers (24 top international mediators) were asked to write about moving, successful, unsuccessful, happy, sad and funny mediations...From these...stories, mediators will learn how to help clients find positive outcomes to conflict resolution."--

In the stories that people tell about conflict, the relationship narrative is commonly shaped to fit the conflict story. But there are always other relationship stories that can be told. This edition shows how to find and grow a counter story to the conflict story and to help people make choices about which story they want to perform.

Mediation Theory and Practice, Third Edition introduces you to the process of mediation by using practical examples that show you how to better manage conflicts and resolve disputes. Authors Suzanne McCorkle and Melanie J. Reese help you to understand the research and theory that underlie mediation, as well as provide you with the foundational skills a mediator must possess in any context, including issue identification, setting the agenda for negotiation, problem solving, settlement, and closure. New to the Third Edition: Expanded content on the role of evaluative mediation reflects the latest changes to the alternative dispute resolution field, helping you to distinguish between various approaches to mediation. Additional discussions around careers in conflict management familiarize you with employment opportunities for mediators, standards of professional conduct, and professional mediator competencies. New activities and case studies throughout each chapter assist you in developing their mediation competency.

An original study of the language of mediation, which uses excerpts from real mediation sessions to illustrate how mediation works and how mediators can best help disputants make claims, present evidence and propose solutions. It will interest researchers and students of sociolinguistics, conversation analysis, and the sociology of law.

This article is part of a symposium discussing the book, Stories Mediators Tell, edited by Eric Galton and Lela Love. The book consists of accounts of 31 actual mediations, followed by reflections of each mediator-author. Some of the chapters tell of extraordinary cases and others are more routine. The mediators' stories are full of parables not only for mediators but also for lawyers and other dispute resolution professionals. This article highlights three related lessons illustrated by the mediators' stories. First, parties often have important interests in addition to maximizing their financial results. Professionals who assume that cases are “only about the money” may not serve their clients as well as they should. A second, related, lesson is that it is very important for professionals to listen effectively. Many professionals listen poorly because of professional habits and assumptions that they need to know only legally-relevant facts, which are similar to facts in other cases that they have handled. This obviously can lead to missed opportunities to advance clients' interests and incompetent service. Third, the lawyer's role can help clients but can also interfere with good service. Lawyers provide valuable services by helping clients understand the legal system and diligently advocating their interests. Lawyers' roles as advocates can, however, undermine their work for their clients if they over-identify with their clients or develop personal antagonisms with the counterpart lawyers. Thinking like a lawyer can help lawyers solve clients' problems but also can blind lawyers to options satisfying their clients' interests. The lessons in this essay are familiar to dispute resolution professionals who have reflected on their work. Even so, these stories provide important insights that are worth repeating, especially because many lawyers and mediators feel pressures to routinize their work. With a continuing focus on providing high-quality service, dispute resolution professionals can be creative in satisfying clients' most important interests and gain great professional gratification. This short article may be a useful reading assignment for various law school courses.