My Job Satisfaction is At Risk

We had a mediation in a personal injury case involving a major auto manufacturer and a defective part. Our client was left with permanent facial scarring, facial paralysis and mild brain trauma from the accident. I was involved in the preparation for the mediation. I drafted the mediation brief and prepared a detailed power point to present at the mediation.

I have done many mediations with our firm. I often am called upon to recite facts the attorneys have not become familiar with, pull out documents that might elucidate a point or sit with the clients during caucasing. Because mediations can often be a long, slow process, being at mediation with my attorneys gave us opportunities to know each other better. For that reason, the mediations have been a pleasant experience.

This mediation was lead by Junior1. Junior1 asked me if I was attending. Of course I was attending -- who else would run the power point? He said, "Good," as if my attending was optional or questionable.

The mediation was held at a big mediation firm in a tall tower downtown. I was the first to arrive, ahead of Junior1. When Junior1 arrived, I overheard him announcing to the receptionist, "Oh, there is MY paralegal, " in a proprietary tone. Thereafter, I sat with the clients for a while during the time Junior1 was visiting defense counsel in their room and while we were waiting for Senior to arrive. At some point, everyone was in the room -- Senior, Junior1, Clients 1, 2 and 3 and myself. The mediator entered the room. Junior1 introduced the mediator to everyone in the room -- except me. I felt slighted and marginalized. I was sitting there. I was participating in the process. Nevertheless, I was just the paralegal -- Junior1's paralegal at that -- and therefore did not merit acknowledgement. Later that day, the attorneys ran into a colleague and failed, once again to introduce me although we were all standing around chatting.

This treatment makes me wary of working with Junior1 at the upcoming trial at which he is first chair and reduces my job satisfaction considerably.