A Compassionate State of Mind: How Michigan Personal Injury Lawyers Think about Non-Monetary Goals and Interests?
A Compassionate State of Mind: How Michigan Personal Injury Lawyers Think about Non-Monetary Goals and Interests?

Summary/Abstract: The article is a result of a qualitative empirical study designed to reveal whether personal injury lawyers in the State of Michigan implement compassionate counseling practices. The study contributes to a well-established body of research pertinent to the development of soft skills in legal practice, whilst also attempting to proliferate and highlight the benefits of out-of-court settlements. The research was designed to study the nature of compassionate counseling practices and its effect on mediated settlements. Consequently, the research analyzed how lawyers evaluate intangible and non-monetary interests of clients and whether those play a role on the dispute resolution continuum. The paper also elaborates on what lawyers do and do not do well in assessing intangible interests of clients. The study posits that if lawyers attend to those intangible interests, it is a form of compassionate practice. Therefore, the study has both theoretical and practical implications for lawyers and mediators. Last, the study suggests that alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, such as mediation, attribute to a speedier resolution of personal injury disputes.

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