Alright, but what does it mean when a New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Civil Trial Attorney also calls himself a Court Approved Case Mediator?
For someone in search of an attorney, it can mean even more valuable education, training and experience, at no additional expense. You see, an Approved Case Mediator is someone who is appointed by the Court to listen carefully to the competing complaints and defenses of attorneys and clients on both sides of cases involving serious business disputes, personal injury, burn injury, auto accidents, medical malpractice, wrongful death and various other substantial matters, to guide them toward their common ground, and to help them see the wisdom of settling costly and time-consuming lawsuits without a trial, whenever possible.
So, hiring someone with mediation skills to serve as the attorney on your side of a case can mean tapping into an additional set of skills that most lawyers, including many Certified Civil Trial Attorneys, have not formally proven themselves to possess. That's because lawyers can become Court-Approved and Appointed Case Mediators only after they have proven to the New Jersey Supreme Court that they possess the particular education, training and experience to justify setting them apart from other lawyers when it comes to facilitating the settlement of substantial contested cases. In fact, the Court has seen fit to formally Approve less than one (1%) percent of all lawyers presently licensed to practice in the State of New Jersey to serve as Court-Appointed Mediators, and I'm also honored and privileged to count myself among that class.
