A word of caution: a few years ago, the ADR movement generally, and those advocating mediation in particular, was dominated by idealistic reformers, people who correctly saw the adversary court system as creating more disputes than it solved and charging outrageously for the privilege. These pioneers genuinely
wanted to substitute a more humane and honest approach to conflict resolution to help disputants arrive at their own compromise rather than to rely on an authority figure such as a judge to impose a solution. By 1980, over fifty community-based mediation and conciliation groups were operating in communities in the U.S. In addition, a plethora of individuals and small groups was working in the domestic relations area. Almost all the community-based and domestic relations mediation programs are
