Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution process wherein a neutral third party, the mediator, facilitates a discussion between the parties to a lawsuit to promote the voluntary resolution of disputes before trial. The goal of mediation is to bring the parties together to end the dispute by agreeing to settle the case voluntarily before trial. Unlike trial, the parties have control over the outcome in a mediation. There are numerous reasons why a party to a dispute might choose mediation over traditional litigation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution. Some of them are affordability, timely resolution, private sessions, confidentiality, participation in the resolution of the dispute, and in many cases preservation of the interrelationship between the parties.