Mediation is not a court of law and is not an arbitration. A court of law has specific rules of evidence and procedure, a judge, attorneys, bailiff and sometimes jurors. Mediation takes place in a comfortable location such as an office or meeting room and is much more informal. The parties are their willingly. The atmosphere is more open and relaxed. The parties can speak openly with the mediator to come to a resolution. In addition, mediation is not arbitration. Arbitration is a formal procedure with one or more arbitrators who will hear the case and make a ruling. They will hear evidence but there is no "meeting of the minds." Arbitrators are not interested in settling miscommunications, they will make a ruling, and usually one side loses. In mediation, it is often a win-win situation.