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Mediation is a structured settlement conference led by a neutral third party — usually a retired judge or experienced attorney — who shuttles between the plaintiff and defendant to find a settlement amount both can accept. It is non-binding: either side can walk away. Most Georgia personal injury cases that settle do so at or shortly after mediation, typically after suit has been filed but before trial. Preparation is everything; we treat mediation like a small trial.
Mediation usually lasts a half-day to a full day. The mediator opens with both parties in the same room, then breaks them into separate rooms for the rest. The mediator carries offers and arguments back and forth, looking for the zone where both sides will agree.
Mediation works because both sides have already invested in litigation by the time it happens — depositions are usually complete, expert reports are exchanged, the case's strengths and weaknesses are known. The remaining gap is usually about valuation, not liability.
What good preparation looks like: a damages model the mediator can defend to the other side, a clear narrative of liability that survives the defense's best counter-argument, a settlement target with documented justification, and a walk-away number. Showing up to mediation without these is showing up unprepared.
This answer is general legal information, not specific legal advice. Pereira & Associates can review your particular facts in the free consultation. Schedule one →
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