With all troubles in EU, Germany backs mediation

German parliament, the Bundestag, voted unanimously this week in favor of a new mediation law to implement a 2008 European Union guideline for the use of mediation in civil and commercial conflict. The move gives new legal weight to mediation by creating a more defined role for mediators acting in tangent to a court proceeding. Just as in the U.S., there is apparently a long wait to get a day in court and, of course, the outcome is unsure, while the risk remains high. Mediators reportedly earn an average 250 euros an hour, but parties to disputes still save substantial court costs. See more on this international development that sounds an awful lot like what we have going on in our own backyard: http://bit.ly/tJTjMz