Avoid the pain and expense of litigation.....

Mediate!

Founder's Statement

I founded Safe Harbor Mediation in 1990 when I realized there had to be a better way for people to disagree. As human beings, we know that occasional conflict in life is inevitable. The challenge is to find a less costly and less personally painful way for people to resolve their disputes rather than turning to litigation.  People want and deserve an alternative process which offers a less costly approach both financially and emotionally and enables them to disagree with one another without the loss of their personal dignity.

The Art of Advocacy - lawyer versus lawyer courtroom combat - while noble in its tradition and still appropriate in some limited instances, should be used only as a last resort.

Most disputes are better resolved through the mediation process which directly involves the parties in conflict. When people are given the opportunity to evaluate the potential consequences and results of their differences, they can make their own choices, before entering the baffling and intimidating world of lawyers, courts, and judges. They can avoid having a judge, who however well-intentioned will never know them or their case as well as they do, inflict a decision upon them which sometimes creates more havoc than harmony. In contrast, most people leave mediation with a lasting sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Courts today are faced with soaring caseloads and plummeting budgets. Increasingly, they turn to mediators to unravel the gridlock which is paralyzing our legal system. Why enter the endless tunnel of litigation filled with frustration and delay, only to have a court refer the matter to a mediator anyway? Why not take charge and tackle those differences in mediation where you control the timetable and the outcome? Even if you are already in litigation, there is much to be gained by pausing to see if you can mediate a resolution.

Consider mediation as a constructive way to disagree, to build a consensus and ultimately resolve differences in a manner which neither defeats nor destroys the human spirit and which focuses on the controversy, not on the parties involved in it.

C. Michele Dorsey

C. Michele Dorsey has been a mediator for more than fifteen years, mediating different kinds of disputes, including family law (divorce, custody, child support, paternity), employment, business, probate and community conflicts. She is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the New England School of Law where she teaches Mediation. Michele Dorsey is a member of the Massachusetts Council of Family Mediation and was a Registered Nurse in the State of Connecticut.

Catherine Pratt Dorsey is a graduate of the New England School of Law and Mount Holyoke College. She is a trained mediator and attended training at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University. Catherine Dorsey is a member of the Massachusetts Council of Family Mediation and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.

Call us to speak personally about mediation and how we can help you reach a resolution to your dispute: (781) 545-9805