Exploring Deeper Wisdoms of Mediation: Notes from the Edge

Excerpt Mediation draws many people into the field of conflict resolution with a promise of rewards like an income stream added to an existing professional practice or agreements pulled from the fires of bitterness and frustration. But for Jim Laue there was more. As a consummate mediator, Jim was equally comfortable mediating technically complex regional disputes, potentially explosive community disputes, and emotionally charged interpersonal disputes. His career began years before a well defined field existed. He came to this work as did others of his and the next generation, determined to address issues of social justice. His mediations during the civil rights era explicitly leveled playing fields and reshaped political tables in every community he touched. Later work with President Carter, in Texas, Indiana, and the Washington, D.C. area continued intervention models established decades earlier