Sutherland Mediation Services
  • Cat being sat on by dogs
  • Kittens in a box with parent cats fighting over visitation arrangements
  • Cat and dog arguing over who gets to sit on a chair
  • Kitten and puppy fighting over a ball of yarn
  • Two cats confronting each other on a red tile roof
Cats and dogs "fighting like people" can be very cute!
But people "fighting like cats and dogs"? Not so much! In fact, "country-lawyer" and 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, believed that, when it came to many if not most every-day disputes:

Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can.

—Abraham Lincoln, "Notes from a Law Lecture," 1850.
At Sutherland Mediation Services we agree whole-heartedly with "Honest Abe"—as he came to be known because he was such an honest "judge" at cockfights where heated disputes were the norm!

We hope that you do not find yourself involved in a serious dispute. But, if you do, we are always happy to help you decide if mediation is good alternative to litigation. Just click on the topics below to learn more!

It is an understatement to say that we live in a litigious society. The National Center for State Courts reports that, in 2012 (the latest data available), almost 17 million civil cases were filed in the 50 United States! It is the fortunate individual indeed who can manage to get through life without finding themselves entangled in one kind of legal dispute or another. There are situations, of course, where "going to court" is the only option. However, in many cases mediation offers an excellent alternative to the time, cost, lack of privacy, and uncertain outcome of litigation.

Mediation is a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution ("ADR"). Mediation is a confidential, private, and voluntary process in which a trained, impartial professional—the mediator—uses a structured process to help people settle differences and resolve disputes. Participants in the mediation process are given the opportunity to express their positions, clarify issues, determine priorities, distinguish "wants" from "needs", identify areas of common ground, and negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement.

The mediator guides the mediation process. However, unlike litigation where the outcome is determined by a judge or jury, and unlike arbitration in which the outcome is determined by a "private judge", usually with no right of appeal, in mediation the outcome is determined by the participants themselves. If agreement cannot be reached through mediation, participants retain the right to pursue other legal remedies including litigation.

Unlike litigation, the primary goal of mediation is to reach an agreement. Compared with traditional litigation, mediation:

  • Allows you to maintain control and solve the problem yourself rather than having a judge or jury make the decision for you;
  • Is less costly;
  • Takes less time;
  • In most cases, is strictly confidential so that details of your personal life are not disclosed to the public;
  • Reduces conflict which is particularly beneficial in situations where relationships must continue after an agreement is reached; and
  • Produces better results because the process is voluntary and the solutions are mutually agreed upon.
Almost any type of dispute can be mediated. For example, mediation is commonly used to reach agreement in employment situations involving sexual harassment, employee relations, employment discrimination, termination settlements, personnel actions, and employment agreements.

Mediation can also be very effective in family situations such as will and estate matters, prenuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, martial conflicts, divorce and separation agreement, child and spousal support, adoption, elder care, parent-child, and inter-generational disputes.

Mediation can even be effective when it comes to resolving difficult business-related disputes such as system and software fitness and performance!
Dr. Vernell M. Sutherland is an experienced mediator. She received her M.B.A. from the College of William & Mary, her Ed.D. from Boston University, and her J.D. from Capital University Law School—completing her final two years of legal study at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary.

Dr. Sutherland began her professional career as an educator but later moved into business management. She brings to her mediation practice more than two decades of senior management experience in for-profit and non-profit organizations—including law firms—along with extensive personal experience in employment-related legal issues including issues related to sex discrimination and sexual harassment.

Dr. Sutherland did her initial mediation training with the Office of the City Attorney, Columbus, Ohio. Since then she received advanced training in family mediation from Ms. Dorothy Della Noce, Esq., a certified mediator and past president of the Virginia Mediation Network; earned advanced mediation certification from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law; and completed Family Medication Certification from the New Hampshire Certified Family Mediation Training Program.

Dr. Sutherland is licensed to practice law in Virginia, California, and the District of Columbia. She is a licensed to sell real estate in Virginia.
Sutherland Mediation Services
PO Box 2343
Williamsburg, VA 23187
757.920.3356
vsutherland@vsutherlandlaw.com