ABI Blog Exchange

Everyone new to bankruptcy needs a guide to this specialized legal realm. Just as you can’t tell the players without a scorecard, it’s hard to make heads or tails of bankruptcy law when it’s new to you.

Never be afraid to ask your mediator for help.  We all need a little help sometimes. To illustrate, let’s consider Audrey Wood’s Silly Sally, which is a children’s book written in rhyme.  I’d like to share a few excerpts.

As a mediator, I pay attention to word cues.  You should too. As you interact with others, listen for the words they use. Not just what the words mean, but the words that are said.

Mediation is a multilayered process including, among other things, sharing, learning, probing, and exploring.  Sometimes, one or both parties get stuck.  And sometimes the stuck party will say “they will never accept what I can offer.”  Instead of

In any dispute, there is often a wide disparity between what each side wants and what either side may realistically get.  One of the critical components in bridging the resolution divide is flexible thinking.