Before the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States earlier this year, I did not know many mediators who had conducted mediations on the Internet. As a mediator myself, I had conducted only one mediation on the Internet. That Internet mediation was a family mediation where the husband, who was a member of the U.S. military and stationed overseas in Hawaii, attended the mediation virtually via iPhone’s FaceTime feature. The husband’s attorney, his wife, her attorney and I were all present together in my office. Because the husband was in Hawaii, it was not feasible for him to attend the mediation in person. Thus, he participated in the mediation virtually, with the use of technology. During the mediation, all parties could see and hear the husband, and the husband could see and hear all parties in the mediation. The mediation ended in a settlement and all parties were happy about the outcome. I did not give too much thought to the fact that the husband was not present physically at the mediation and that he attended the mediation on the Internet. The mediation occurred in 2015, and, at that time, although I did not know it, it was a sign of what was to come.
To continue reading, please refer to the article below which was published in Louisiana Bar Journal Vol. 68, No. 3.