Mediation Message No. 136

“YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT”

“You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you might find
You get what you need”

(From “You can’t always get what you want,” lyrics by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, 1969.)

This memorable refrain, known by all rock ‘n’ roll fans, is also the perfect reminder at mediation for unrealistic or disappointed litigants when either the facts, the law or an intransigent opponent seem to frustrate their expectations. When that occurs, appropriately observing that “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes well you might find you get what you need” most always brings a smile of recognition and the timely realization that, despite existing obstacles, reasonable results are still achievable.

Hon. Michael D. Marcus (Ret.)
ADR Services, Inc.
1900 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 250
Los Angeles, California 90067
(310) 201-0010

Copyright Michael D. Marcus, August 2017

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