Middle Ground: The art and Science of Mediation

Lisa Brodeur-McGan has a pony is named after her.

That was a reward, if you will, for the Springfield attorney's successful attempts to bring the animal back into the life of a 9-year-old girl who had become the plaintiff in an intriguing test of the judicial system and a textbook example of

To make a long story short (or at least shorter), the pony had been given to another party in what is known as a 'free-lease' arrangement following the divorce of the girl's parents. Under the terms of the oral agreement, the party that took the pony cared for it, trained it, and charged people for rides on it. In the process of all that, the pony was groomed into a prize-winner.

And when the girl's mother bought a new home and was able to take the animal back, the party that cared for the pony didn't want to part with it and claimed it didn't have to. An injunction was filed, and a lengthy discovery period ensued. It was during this time that both parties realized that mediation - a process by which an impartial third party is hired to help two sides reach an agreement and thus avoid litigation - was the best route to take.