Veteran litigator Nicholas Connon helps ease court burdens through mediation

For Nicholas P. Connon, mediation is about more than resolving lawsuits. It is about preserving a justice system strained by overwhelming caseloads while helping litigants avoid the financial and emotional costs of prolonged litigation.

A partner at Connon Wood LLP with 36 years of litigation experience, Connon serves on both the Los Angeles County Superior Court's Mediation Volunteer Panel and the Resolve Law LA panel. He also chairs the MVP Advisory Subcommittee, where he works to expand one of the nation's largest court-sponsored mediation programs.

His motivation for volunteering stems from decades spent in courtrooms watching judicial workloads steadily increase.

"I am primarily a litigator," Connon said. "I see firsthand how the court system and litigants are affected by the increasing caseload that judicial officers are required to handle."

With many judges carrying dockets exceeding 1,000 cases, Connon said volunteer mediation can play an important role in easing those burdens while giving litigants a faster, less costly path to resolution.

Years as a trial lawyer also shape his perspective as a neutral.

"As a litigator, I see the costs that litigation imposes on the parties and those involved in legal disputes," Connon said. "Financially, litigation is a very expensive way for people to resolve disputes. Emotionally, litigation exacts a significant toll. Socially, litigation can permanently destroy relationships. Professionally, litigation can end careers."

Those experiences have reinforced the distinction between advocacy and mediation.

"As an advocate, your focus is your client's best interest," he said. "As a mediator, you represent the process, not any particular party."

Connon believes successful mediations begin with listening rather than persuading.

"People in disputes want to be heard and want to feel understood," he said. "Often there is a 'disagreement under the disagreement' that is not apparent in the case, but a skillful mediator can uncover this by really listening to what is being said."

While many mediators specialize in certain practice areas, Connon believes nearly every dispute is appropriate for mediation if introduced at the right stage of litigation. Some cases benefit from early intervention before costly discovery, he said, while others require additional factual development before meaningful settlement discussions can occur.

Even when parties arrive far apart, he views mediation as an opportunity to reshape expectations.

"I believe that the discussion and engagement that takes place at mediation frequently results in a more informed and open-minded approach," Connon said. Even if a case does not settle that day, he added, the process often lays the groundwork for resolution later.

Connon says serving as a mediator has also made him a better advocate by encouraging him to remain open to competing perspectives instead of focusing exclusively on advancing a client's position.

He said he expects the Los Angeles County Superior Court's mediation program to continue growing. The MVP panel currently includes more than 250 volunteer mediators, and Connon believes that number could eventually double as courts increasingly rely on alternative dispute resolution to manage expanding civil dockets.

He encourages attorneys interested in mediation to become involved, calling the MVP program "one of the top mediation programs of any court in the country."

For Connon, however, the greatest satisfaction comes from helping both litigants and the courts.

"My goal is to try to help the courts reduce the number of cases that tax the system so that the system can work the way it was intended and designed to work."