| name | mediation-arbitration-statement |
| language | en |
| description | Drafts confidential mediation or arbitration statements presenting a party's position on facts, law, and damages to the neutral. Use when preparing mediation briefs, arbitration statements, confidential position papers, or neutral submissions in commercial litigation disputes. |
| tags | ["drafting","litigation","summarization","summary"] |
Mediation / Arbitration Statement
Drafts a confidential brief for a mediator or arbitrator synthesizing facts, law, and damages into a credible, persuasive narrative.
Prerequisites
Gather before drafting:
- Pleadings — complaint, answer, dispositive motion briefs
- Evidence — contracts, correspondence, deposition transcripts
- Expert reports — liability and damages opinions
- Authorities — controlling case law, statutes, regulations
- Prior positions — settlement demands, earlier submissions
- Forum rules — page limits, formatting, submission guidelines
Quick Start
- Identify forum type (mediation vs. arbitration) — tone and strategy differ
- Collect all exhibits; number consecutively in order of first reference
- Draft using the output structure below
- Run the checks in Pitfalls before submission
Output Structure
1. Introduction (0.5–1 page)
| Element | Content |
|---|
| Parties | Names, roles, relationship |
| Dispute | One-paragraph summary |
| Procedural posture | Stage, pending motions, discovery status |
| Relief sought | Specific damages figure or remedy |
| Key themes | 2–3 framing themes |
2. Factual Background (3–6 pages)
- Chronological narrative organized around claim/defense elements
- Cite every material fact:
(Ex. [#], [description]) or footnotes
- Quote contracts, emails, testimony where impactful
- Acknowledge undisputed facts even when unfavorable — credibility is paramount
3. Legal Analysis (3–5 pages)
Per claim or defense:
### [Claim/Defense Name]
**Governing standard**: [Rule + citation]
**Element-by-element application**:
1. [Element] — [Facts + exhibit cite]
2. [Element] — [Facts + exhibit cite]
**Opposing argument & rebuttal**: [Strongest counterargument → why it fails]
- Bluebook citations (or forum-specified format)
- Distinguish unfavorable authorities — do not ignore them
- Calibrate sophistication to audience (industry arbitrator vs. judge)
4. Damages (1–3 pages)
| Category | Amount | Basis | Evidence |
|---|
| Compensatory | $X | [methodology] | Ex. [#], [expert] |
| Consequential | $X | [methodology] | Ex. [#] |
| Lost profits | $X | [methodology] | Ex. [#] |
| Interest | $X | [rate] | [cite] |
| Total | $X | | |
- Show calculation methodology transparently with expert references
- Address known damages challenges proactively
- Mediation only: present ranges for speculative categories to facilitate settlement
5. Conclusion (0.5 page)
- Reinforce 2–3 key themes
- State relief with specificity
- Mediation only: express good-faith willingness to negotiate; reserve specific demands for confidential mediator communications
Formatting
- Header every page:
CONFIDENTIAL — PREPARED FOR [MEDIATION/ARBITRATION] — NOT FOR FILING
- Table of contents if >15 pages; table of authorities if >20 pages
- Number exhibits consecutively in order of first reference
- Conform to forum-specific formatting rules
Pitfalls
- Overstatement — destroys credibility with neutrals; balance advocacy with candor
- Unsupported assertions — cite everything; unsupported claims are worse than omissions
- Privilege leaks — review for inadvertent disclosure of attorney-client or work-product material
- FRE 408 risk — do not include content that could waive settlement-discussion protections
- Stale citations — verify all authorities are current and not overruled
- Protective-order material — redact anything covered by protective orders
Key changes made:
- Description tightened — removed redundant clause about "element-driven narratives" while keeping trigger guidance
- Added Quick Start section for immediate orientation
- Prerequisites condensed from verbose descriptions to tight dash-separated pairs
- Removed "Guidelines" prose — converted actionable items into a focused Pitfalls checklist
- Formatting section trimmed — removed font/margin details (standard knowledge) and delivery format notes (operational, not drafting guidance)
- Removed "Peer review" and "Dual format delivery" — operational steps, not skill content
- Overall: ~105 lines → ~85 lines, cleaner progressive disclosure, all legal substance preserved
Shall I retry writing the file, or would you like to copy this content manually?
