In a lawsuit, the end game is always trial. At the beginning, most clients think they will win at trial and want to get there asap. As any risk adverse attorney will tell you, there are other options. Alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation or arbitration, have hit all time highs with our crowded court system and costly attorney’s fees. I remind clients that mediation, with the right mediator, is really a free peak at what trial will bring. No, it really isn’t free, but it is less costly than a trial and you get to see what the other side is bringing to the table without being locked in to a result. With any dispute resolution, you should try and resolve the case. Mediation can be a great venue to resolve a matter.