Homework: Conflict Mediation
Suppose that you are the HR manager for a company. The judge in a current law suit by a former employee has ordered mandatory pre-suit mediation. Your boss is unfamiliar with mediation and she asks you to advise her as to several issues regarding the upcoming mediation. Draft a memo thoroughly discussing, at minimum, the following questions:
1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of mediation? Is it likely to be successful? Is it likely to make the parties more or less hostile toward one another? How do the costs in terms of time and money compare with litigation?
2) If your boss has no interest in mediation, does she really have to be there? Can she send her attorney instead? If so, are there any conflicts of interest with respect to attorney advocate representation of which she should be aware?
3) Must the company actually participate in the mediation? Can your boss (or her attorney) just sit there and refuse to speak?
4) If your boss (or her attorney) does decide to engage in dialogue during the mediation, what are the risks concerning information that might be disclosed? If the mediation fails, can the former employee use such information at trial?
Format your homework according to the following formatting requirements:
(1) The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
(2) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
(3) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.