Jasper County Sun Mediator hopes to help resolve disputes By Sherry R. Brunson Published on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 - 10:20am | News County residents now have a less-expensive alternative to litigation when the need arises. Paul M. Brody recently opened the non-profit Beaufort/Jasper Community Conflict Resolution Center at 252 Russell Street in Ridgeland, which charges clients based on income. Mediation is an opportunity to settle your dispute in an atmosphere conducive to open and free communication, Brody said. Mediation can be utilized before a lawsuit is initiated, or during the time the suit is active when communications may have broken down and the parties need a neutral third party. No war has ever ended where the warring parties decided to just stop fighting. There was always communication prior to the succession of hostilities. Brody said mediation will only work if the parties have a willingness to settle and come into mediation. He uses what he calls the seven Cs: cooperation, communication, collaboration, compassion, compromise, consideration and confidentiality. Part of being a mediator is being a storyteller, Brody said. The first question that I usually ask in mediation is, ‘What are your expectations? Sometimes, all a person wants who comes for mediation is an apology or to have their hospital bills paid and they are fine. It is important to find out what the expectations of all the parties involved. For example, a man had a cat and he expected that the cat would like what he did, so he offered the cat chicken, tuna and salmon cat food. In reality, the cat probably expected his food to be flavored like mice, rats and small birds. Someone may not see that the other party is telling the truth, but they may be telling ‘their truth. The center will offer mediation for many issues, including: divorce/separation; child custody/child support; spousal support; equitable distribution; landlord/tenant issues; HOA and homeowner disputes; animal nuisance, real estate disputes; business to customer claims; business to business disputes; construction-related issues; partnership dissolutions; product liability claims; and elderly care issues. In North Carolina, Brody was involved in criminal mediation, then added family and divorce mediation. Brody, and Pamela, his wife of 38 years, live on Callawassie Island. He previously worked with the Conflict Resolution Center of Cabarrus County, N.C. While Paul was with us he worked very hard, said Cynthia Seaforth, spokeswoman for the center. As mediators here, we work in the court, but we do not work for the court. We legally cannot give legal advice, but we can help people work out their conflicts. Brody said he practices client-centered mediation. I focus on the people in the room and how the future will be after the conflict is over - not on the past cause of the conflict, he said. Brody said part of his mission is to develop educational sentencing alternatives for criminals. They can take an eight-hour class instead of jail. In North Carolina, in order to participate, you could not be involved in domestic violence, not be in a felony within the past three years and not have 14 warrants on eight people, Brody said. It doesnt cost the state any money and the incentive is they can get their case dismissed. They pay for the class. The transformation doesnt happen in eight hours -it happens in an instant - and seeing that happen is what keeps me going. According to Joan Brown, administrator for the South Carolina Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission, Brody is on the agenda to make a presentation to the Commission on Feb. 21, 2014. According to the Centers website, it is funded through private grants, business donations, like-kind services, fund raisers, city and county grants, private donations, and revenue generated through mediations services rendered, and in-house programs. For more information about the Beaufort/Jasper Community Conflict Resolution Center, call 368-3523 or email [email protected] or visit BJCCRC.org.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 01:27:56 +0000
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