This chapter focuses on key aspects of the final stage of the negotiation or mediation process: reaching a settlement. An agreement reached through mediation or negotiation is essentially a contract. As such, contractual principles will apply, and oral or email exchanges may be binding. To avoid problems, it is important to be clear about process. It is also necessary to check the coverage and detail of a potential settlement fully. A potential agreement may be undermined by a failure to agree detail as the settlement process goes forward, or due to tactics in the final stages. Ultimately, it is very important to finalize the terms of an agreement at the end of the settlement process, perhaps building in terms to assist enforcement or implementation.
