Mediation

Acting as a mediator in a family or employment dispute is very much more difficult that you might imagine. Nevertheless it is something that I enjoy doing and it seems from the feedback I receive that I am at least tolerably good at it.

For the last six months I have attempting to resolve a whole series of disputes between a university student who lost both her parents in a road accident when she was in year 12 at school and her maternal grandparents. Most of the facts are not in dispute which would suggest that my job should have been fairly simple. Sadly nothing could have been further from the truth.

In truth neither side is very good at listening to what the “opposition” is saying. The Grandfather is very dismissive of any opinions put forward by his granddaughter or her solicitor and has fairly consistently refused to explain why he did some of his more questionable actions. For example he accepts that the day after his daughter and her husband were killed he went round to their house and removed money, some jewellery and also burnt “some papers”.  He has been given many opportunities to explain why he did this but I am fairly certain that even his own solicitor hasn’t been told the whole story.

Clearly when the case comes to court he will have no choice but to answer these questions so it isn’t clear to me what advantage he is seeking to gain from his current stubborn silence.