This book provides enough information to help most readers prepare for and bring their dispute to mediation by themselves.

But depending on the nature of your case, you may need more advice or information about the law or the probable result of taking a dispute to court. If you are preparing to mediate a case involving complex legal issues or substantial amounts of money or property, you may want to consult with a lawyer before mediation, between mediation sessions, or after mediation to review the settlement agreement before you sign it.

Although you shouldn’t expect to settle for exactly what you think you would get in court, it can still be a good idea to consider the likely range of legal outcomes as you consider your mediation goals. For example, if you are mediating with an insurance company about how much they should pay you for a broken leg, knowing what juries in your area have been awarding lately for similar injuries will help you evaluate offers made in mediation by the insurance company.

If your case is relatively simple and you aren’t sure who is legally in the right, you might want to do some legal research on your own instead of, or in addition to, consulting a lawyer. A little research—online or in a law library—will help you figure out what the law requires and how it applies to your dispute.

This chapter provides information that will help you find a lawyer or law coach, or do some legal research on your own.

A.