by winburnlawWhat Does Mediation Mean If I Have A Filed Case In Vermont?
Rule 16.3 of the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure requires ADR - “alternate dispute resolution”. With rare exceptions, all personal injury cases have to go through this process before they are allowed to be tried before a court or a jury.
Mediation is a proceeding where all parties meet to determine if a case can be resolved. The mediation is overseen by a mediator who acts like a referee. The mediator must remain neutral and should be free of any conflicts of interest. Since most attorneys primarily represent claimants or insurance companies in their practice, it is important that the mediator has the trust of all parties.
In Vermont, there is no requirement as to who will be a mediator but they almost always are lawyers in civil suits involving personal injury claims. Some former judges also serve as mediators and a few attorneys devote much of their practice to mediation.
It is entirely up to the parties as to whether they resolve their case at mediation and a result cannot be imposed by a mediator . In other words, no one can make anyone do anything at a mediation that they do not want to do regarding their case. But it does provide a forum for cases to reach a resolution if all see it in their interests to settle their case
Our law firm only handles personal injury claims and we practice throughout the State of Vermont. Our main offices are in Bennington, Vermont and we only practice in Vermont. If we can help click on the “Contact Us” page above or call us toll free at 800-640-5100©Winburn Law Offices
by winburnlawHow Do Lawyers Become Members Of “Best Lawyers In America” and “Super Lawyers Of New England”?
Lawyers are selected by groups such as Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers by anonymous means. The rankings seem to correspond to the Martindale-Hubbell rankings but not always. The rankings are made anonymously and therefore are deemed reliable indicators to the public as to the abilities of attorneys they are considering to hire.
The significance of these rankings is that they goes beyond bragging rights of the lawyers involved. They are indicators to the public as to the background, training and experience of a lawyer that they are considering hiring to handle their case. Unless a person is personally acquainted with the lawyer the general public has no way of knowing whether the lawyer being hired is someone they want handling their case. These rating groups are a good way of evaluating this type of information in the hiring process.
Patrick Winburn has been listed in Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers for many years. Winburn Law Offices limits its practice to personal injury matters. It is one of the few offices in Vermont to restrict its practice in this way. No matter where you live in the United States, if your accident happened in Vermont, we can help.
Our law office reviews cases throughout the State of Vermont – in Manchester, Bennington, Rutland, Burlington, Woodstock, St. Albans, Brattleboro, Montpelier, Woodford, Springfield, Wilmington, the Northeast Kingdom and anywhere else where there is jurisdiction in the State of Vermont.
If you believe you have an accident claim contact us for a free evaluation – if we take your case, we don’t get unless we get money for you!
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