One of the more common comments I hear when I tell people that I'm a mediator is "It sounds great, but it wouldn't have worked for me."  When mediation has been shown to be about 85% successful in most studies, why do so many people assume it won't work for their conflict?  The answer is that many people believe that difficult conflicts can only be resolved through compromise; by at least one side giving up something and admitting at least a partial defeat.  When the stakes are high enough, people believe you can only reach agreement or resolution by beating the other side or giving in.  Sure, if you're getting along and you mostly agree then talking it out can work, but if not you may as well prepare for war.  And wars always have clear winners and losers, right? The power of mediation and collaborative law is how trained professionals help people find answers  when they're NOT getting along. In actual practice, mediators and collaborati...