You may be experiencing uncertainty concerning how much your mediation should cost and who should pay for it. Your Orange County business attorney can give you valuable advice and an answer to these questions.

As the Plaintiff
Your Orange County business attorney can tell you that it is not always easy to determine who has the responsibility for payment of a private mediator, assuming that you as the plaintiff and the other involved individuals have agreed to hire one. Citing the need to demonstrate your level of commitment to the mediation process, the defense attorney will ask that half of the fee be charged to you.

Position of the Plaintiff’s Lawyer
An experienced Orange County business attorney will caution you that it is entirely possible that the employment discrimination counsel for the plaintiff will yield to this demand. Perhaps they also believe that you should demonstrate your commitment to mediation, or they do not want the defense to think that they either lack or are unwilling to expend sufficient funds to see the case through to its conclusion.

Your Orange County Business Attorney’s Advice
Your Orange County business lawyer will very probably tell you not to allow yourself to be pressed into bearing half of the cost of the mediation. The reasoning that backs up this position is as follows:

• Your Orange County business lawyer will point out that for you to pay half of the fee is unjust. For you to be charged an amount equal to that charged to the defendant, whose financial resources far outstrip yours, is neither reasonable nor equitable.
• Your Orange County business lawyer may also be concerned that you may feel pushed to accept a potentially unfair settlement just to cover the cost of the mediation if you are required to pay half of the fee.
• Finally, your Orange County business attorney may caution you that acceding to the request to pay half the costs could cause the opposition to think that you are impatient to come to a resolution and are willing to accept whatever settlement proposal they choose to offer.

Stand Your Ground
You don’t have to allow yourself to be pressured or bullied into paying for mediation. Call Daily Aljian LLP, your Orange County business attorney, at 949-861-2524 and get the support you deserve.