Ron Bankston

Ron Bankston is a Board Certified Attorney and Distinguished Credentialed Mediator with more than 30 years of first chair trial experience and 17 years of experience as a mediator. He has worked for and managed large and small law firms, and has represented plaintiffs and defendants, individuals, families, small businesses, corporations and governmental entities.

Ron has served as trial counsel and as mediator in almost every area of civil litigation, including personal injury, wrongful death, commercial litigation, real estate, employment, insurance, product liability, construction, appellate, probate and professional liability.

“I believe in mediation because my experience as both an advocate and a mediator has shown me that it is a superior means of resolving disputes. And the commitment of time and effort by the mediator is often the difference in reaching a settlement. I make that commitment in every case. I promise each party and attorney that I will not waste their time, but I also will not prematurely declare an impasse merely because of some discouraging obstacle to settlement, or because we’re near the end of the day. And if a case does not settle on the day of mediation, I give my personal commitment to all parties to continue to work with the attorneys toward settlement after mediation, for as long as it takes.”

– Ron Bankston

Click here to download a PDF of Ronald G. Bankston’s Professional Resume

What is Mediation?

Mediation leaves control over the dispute, and the terms of any settlement, in the hands of the parties themselves, rather than strangers. The mediator doesn’t decide the case; instead he or she simply helps the parties come up with a solution that, while not “ideal” and not an absolute “win” for either side, is acceptable to everyone. The mediator’s primary role is to act as an “agent of reality,” someone who points out privately to each side what their risks are and how much it is likely to cost for that “day in court.”

Mediation typically lasts a day or two, whereas the discovery and pre-trial stage of litigation often lasts months or years, and a trial itself may drag on for weeks or months. That expenditure of time translated to money. There are intangible costs involved in trial as well, such as the stress involved and time spent thinking and worrying about the dispute, which always exacts a mental and emotional toll. Even if the parties choose an early mediation, they will still incur some legal expenses, and of course, they will pay a mediation fee to the mediator (typically a flat fee per party for a day of mediation). Comparatively, mediation is significantly less expensive. But perhaps more importantly, mediation also reduces the “quality of life” costs.

Click here for Rules for Mediation