One of the oldest maxims in writing is to never apologize for your work.  With that said, I do need to couch this article.  I stand by my premise 100%.  However, there are always exceptions to a rule.  One of my biggest influences in mediation is a former judge, and former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice.  I am not saying that a judge cannot mediate, but that you need to go in with your eyes open.

Too often when litigators are choosing a mediator (or even worse when a sitting judge is ordering mediation at a scheduling conference) the conversation goes something like, “So, should we use Judge X or Judge Y?”  What does being a former judge necessarily have to do with being a mediator, let alone a good mediator?

As the late great comedian Mitch Hedberg said,

When you’re in Hollywood and you’re a comedian, everybody wants you to do things besides comedy. They say, “OK, you’re a stand-up comedian — can you act? Can you write? Write us a script?” . . .  It’s as though if I were a cook and I worked [] to become a good cook, they said, “All right, you’re a cook — can you farm?”

I am certainly not the first to recognize this disturbing trend.