Personal Injury Mediation: Preparing for Decisions
A legal timeline is a sequence of medical, evidence, insurance and procedural milestones, not a universal duration. This guide focuses on personal injury mediation: preparing for decisions. Track what is complete, what is disputed and which deadline or record still needs individual review.
Hurt Advice editorial guide. Source review: . This guide does not state that the attorney authored, reviewed or approved it. Visit the profile for public licensing and background records.
Review the attorney’s public background, then confirm experience and availability directly.
Raffi Naljian
Founder, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Attorney
Raffi Garabed Naljian is the founder of Naljian Law Offices and an active California attorney under State Bar #238919. A Los Angeles Times profile says he founded the firm in 2008 after beginning his legal career in 1997, and the State Bar lists personal injury, litigation, criminal law, and business law among his self-reported practice areas.
View Raffi Naljian's full verified profilePrimary identity record
Learn more about Raffi Naljian
This is a focused supporting page. Use Raffi Naljian's full sourced attorney profile as the primary identity record for biography, role, languages, office information, and public-record links. Review that profile alongside the issue-specific preparation and public sources below.
The State Bar record lists Raffi Garabed Naljian as an active California attorney, State Bar #238919. Hurt Advice is a separate referral and legal information service, not the attorney's law firm.
How to Evaluate Attorney Fit for This Issue
Attorney fit for personal injury mediation: preparing for decisions depends on the specific facts, the work required, verified experience, communication and the complete written fee agreement. Review the linked public profile and ask how the responsible lawyer would approach the evidence, policy issues and deadlines in your matter. Hurt Advice does not promise attorney acceptance, representation or a result.
California evidence brief
Prepare for mediation as a decision process, not a guaranteed settlement
Mediation gives the parties a structured opportunity to exchange information and evaluate settlement, but it does not guarantee an agreement. California court rules emphasize procedural fairness, informed participation, and uncoerced decisions. Preparation should identify the disputed facts, settlement authority, liens and costs, acceptable terms, and the documents needed to compare an offer with the risks and delay of continued litigation.
Records and actions that clarify the issue
Prepare a one-page decision sheet
List the strongest and weakest liability facts, disputed medical issues, economic losses, future-care evidence, available coverage, liens, litigation costs, and upcoming case dates. Distinguish confirmed facts from assumptions.
Why it matters: Mediation can move quickly. A concise decision sheet helps the participant evaluate a proposal against the actual evidence rather than reacting only to the latest demand or offer.
Confirm participation and settlement authority
Ask who will attend, who can authorize settlement, whether an insurer or lienholder must approve terms, what will be exchanged before the session, and how the mediator will conduct joint and private discussions.
Why it matters: A session is less productive when a necessary decision-maker or key record is missing. The mediator should explain the process, while each party retains responsibility for informed, uncoerced decisions.
Write every material settlement term
If an agreement is reached, confirm payment timing, releases, lien handling, confidentiality language, dismissal steps, disputed nonmonetary terms, and who must sign. Obtain legal advice before agreeing when needed.
Why it matters: A dollar figure may leave important obligations unresolved. A careful written term sheet reduces later disagreement about what the parties intended and what must happen next.
Questions to answer with the evidence
- Which facts or legal issues are genuinely disputed?
- Who has authority to approve settlement and resolve liens or nonmonetary terms?
- What is the practical net result of each proposal after documented obligations?
- Which terms must be written before anyone treats the matter as resolved?
Primary California sources
- California Rules of Court, rule 3.857, Quality of mediation process
Primary court rule addressing procedural fairness, explanation of process, representation, and settlement assistance in covered court-connected mediation.
- California Rules of Court, rule 3.891, Actions subject to mediation
Primary court rule explaining covered mediation pathways and the case-by-case assessment of amenability to mediation.
These sources provide general California context. Deadlines, admissibility, available claims, and required proof depend on the specific facts and should be reviewed individually.
What to Do Next
- 1Confirm the referral or agreement, mediator, format, preparation deadlines and cost allocation; ask which attendance requirements apply.
- 2Prepare the disputed issues and available documents, identifying what remains uncertain rather than assuming mediation will resolve the case.
- 3Discuss settlement goals, decision authority and the effect of proposed releases or other terms before the session.
- 4Record any agreement accurately and confirm remaining court dates if no resolution is reached; a mediator helps discussion rather than deciding the dispute.
Evidence Checklist
- Mediation agreement or referral and scheduling instructions
- Focused issue summary, key records and proposed deductions
- Draft settlement terms and outstanding court deadlines
Keep your unanswered questions handy when comparing the attorney’s public profile with your needs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming participation guarantees an agreement
- Confusing mediation with an arbitrator’s decision
- Treating a scheduled mediation as a pause in all other deadlines
Use the attorney’s public background as a starting point for a direct conversation about fit.
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Important Disclosures
Attorney Advertising. Hurt Advice is a lawyer-referral and legal-information service, not a law firm. This website provides general information, not legal advice. Viewing a page or submitting a form does not create an attorney-client relationship. Independent participating attorneys decide whether to accept a matter, and representation begins only under a separate written agreement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; results depend on the facts and circumstances of each matter.