Criminal Case Glut Impedes Civil Suits - Consider Mediation

Criminal Case Glut Impedes Civil Suits - WSJ.com:

In Chicago, civil cases still move faster in federal court.  However, they are often bumped to make room for federal criminal cases.  This results in somewhat long delays if you insist on going to trial.

What the federal court does a great job of is mediating cases - many cases are resolved by the magistrate judges who do a great job of holding mediations and forcing the parties to attend.

I haver participated in numerous federal mediations over the years - only one case failed to reach a settlement.  That case settled one week later.  The Magistrate Judges of the Northern District of Illinois do a great job in resolving disputes.

The Seventh Circuit also does mediations - it too does a great job in getting rid of small cases and cases that are not worth the effort of the judges.

In my opinion, the mediation programs of the Northern District of Illinois and the Seventh Circuit are among the most useful tools for litigators in the world of litigation.  They also save clients lots of legal fees.

Edward X. Clinton, Jr.

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