Devon Lyon sees mediation as path to access

For employment attorney Devon M. Lyon, volunteering as a mediator is fundamentally about giving litigants access to a process they might otherwise be unable to afford.

"Mediation is an important and effective tool for attorneys and parties to resolve cases," Lyon said. But with private mediation increasingly expensive, she said, some litigants have effectively been priced out.

"Access to justice has always been a priority for me," she said.

Lyon, founder of Lyon Legal, P.C., has practiced for 25 years and represents both employees and employers in labor and employment disputes. She participates in both the Los Angeles County Superior Court's Mediation Volunteer Panel and Resolve Law LA.

Her experience on both sides of employment disputes has proved particularly valuable as a neutral.

"I'm able to look downstream and see the good, the bad and the ugly of everything that can happen," Lyon said. "Experience representing both employees and employers gives me a unique perspective to explore issues in both rooms."

She doesn't see her job as telling parties what they want to hear. Lyon said she gives clients and mediation participants essentially the same warning: "I'm not your cheerleader."

Her job, she tells them, is to provide the good and bad information they need to make an informed decision.

Doing that effectively begins with listening.

"Turn off your mouth and you can hear valuable tidbits of information," Lyon said. "Write it down and use it later."

One of the greatest obstacles is stubbornness, she said. Rather than trying to convince someone that a position is wrong, Lyon encourages parties to consider another perspective -- to "put on a different pair of glasses."

Lyon is relatively new to mediation and currently handles roughly two or three matters a month. She prefers employment disputes, where she can draw on two decades of experience, and said volunteer mediation has taught her the importance of persuading parties to invest seriously in the process even when they are not paying for it.

She also encourages other lawyers to volunteer, saying the experience can make them better advocates.

For Lyon, however, the greatest reward comes when litigation ends.

"Litigation is hard, expensive and emotional," she said. "My favorite thing about being a mediator is the gift of closure to parties."

That satisfaction is tied directly to why she volunteers.

"The MVP program gives people access to mediation so they can resolve their claims and find peace," Lyon said. "Seeing closure on people's faces makes me happy."