In one of the penultimate scenes from the film “Philadelphia”, Tom Hanks’ character waxes eloquently on the very real but somewhat infrequent joys of being a lawyer. His character states from the witness stand that “not very often, but sometimes, you get to be a part of justice being done.”
As an attorney, I can relate well to this concept of sporadic justice. Yet as rare as these moments have been in my legal life, even rarer still were there actual occurrences inside a courtroom. In fact, most of these moments occurred in the offices and conference rooms of professional mediators—individuals who remain neutral and attempt to reach dispute resolution through means other than legal opinions and court orders. During my tenure as a lawyer, I found the mediation process to be more effective and rewarding than the litigation process. It gave the litigating parties a sense that they were “having their day in court” without the drawbacks of actually being in court. Mediation often takes a fraction of the time that the court process does, is cheaper for the client and involves the actual parties to a far greater degree in the outcome than does the lawyer-dependent court process. Over the last ten years or so, most courts have now made it mandatory that parties mediate their cases before trial in an effort to reduce the amount of court time and tax dollars spent on litigating controversies that could otherwise be settled through less intrusive means.
The rising popularity of mediation as an alternate form of dispute resolution is not limited to litigated cases, however. In fact, many cities and other municipalities offer free or low-cost mediation services to residents who wish to resolve their disputes over parking spaces and loud dogs through more cost effective and less esoteric means than litigation in a courtroom.
From a government perspective, the savings on both court time and administration is immeasurable. More importantly for average citizens, the process of mediation is a “kinder and gentler” form of justice and far less confrontational than what they will find inside a courthouse.
Luckily, Long Beach is one such City that offers free dispute resolution services to residents. Since 1978 when it was known as the Neighborhood Justice Center, the City of Long Beach, in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Bar Association, has assisted in providing space and support necessary for free mediation services. Housed in the Neighborhood Resource Center at 425 Atlantic Avenue, DRS provides a highly successful mediation service with trained neutrals in matters ranging from landlord tenant issues to small claims and commercial disputes.
DRS accepts both self-referrals and referrals from collaborative agencies and all City departments.
The voluntary mediation process is quicker, cheaper and often more effective. Participants often find the process more satisfying than waiting for a court decision. From a community point of view, this form of dispute resolution is also inherently neighborly and fosters a sense of community responsibility for solving local problems. In all, centers like those in Long Beach should continue to be encouraged and funded appropriately.
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