Living and working in a community is about relationships–between individuals, neighbors, contractors, landlords and tenants, small businesses, and academic institutions.  Litigation is adversarial, unpleasant, time-consuming, and costly.  Disputes are often the result of misunderstandings and miscommunications. Contested issues can almost always be worked out by sitting down face-to-face with the other party, acknowledging what went wrong, and trying to fix it.  There is no doubt that sometimes a judge or jury is necessary to resolve a dispute.  However, we need each other to create a thriving and positive community, and mediation is one way to achieve that harmony.