Mediation is a voluntary and confidential way to resolve disputes without giving the decision making power to someone else (like a judge). It involves sitting down with the other side in the dispute and a third party who is neutral and impartial (the mediator). The mediator helps the parties identify the important issues in the dispute and to decide how they can resolve it themselves. The mediator doesn't tell them what to do, or make a judgment about who's right and who's wrong. Control over the outcome of the case stays with the parties -- something that cannot happen if the case is decided by a judge.