A date within weeks, and a mediator who has read your brief.

The file is going to settle. The question is what it costs to get there.

Both sides can see roughly where this lands. Between here and there is another round of motions, another expert report, another year of carrying the file, and a client asking every month why nothing has happened. Most of that spend does not change the number at the end.

Counsel usually knows what is holding a file up before the day begins. My job is to make it possible to say it out loud in a room where saying it costs you nothing.

Mark Lawrence is a mediator with legal training and more than a decade of experience in difficult negotiations. He serves as a neutral in personal injury matters, working with counsel, insurers, and parties toward settlement without the cost and uncertainty of trial.

Approach

Mark does not run a fixed script. Some matters call for more time together, others move faster in separate, confidential conversations. What does not change is the focus: identify what is actually holding the settlement up, and keep both sides on that rather than on arguments already exchanged in writing.

Three steps to a booked mediation

1. Request dates. Reach out with the matter and the timeframe. Answered within one business day, with dates usually available within a few weeks.

2. Briefs and pre calls. Briefs in advance, so the day begins with a mediator who already understands the file. Where it helps, Mark speaks with each counsel beforehand about where there is room to move.

3. Half day or full day. Format confirmed once counsel have discussed what the matter needs. In person across the Greater Toronto Area, or virtually across Ontario.

Background

Mark built and leads the alternative dispute resolution program inside one of Ontario's largest public organizations. His practice spans human rights complaints, workplace disputes, and matters where the parties had to keep dealing with each other after the file closed.