Choosing the Right Niche

• Author: Victoria Pynchon/Joe Kraynak (With)
• Profession: Mediator, author, speaker, negotiation trainer, consultant, and attorney with 25 years of experience in commercial litigation practice/Professional writer who has contributed to numerous For Dummies books
• Pages: 21-34

Chapter 2

Choosing the Right Niche

In This Chapter

▶ Discovering a mediation market in your area of expertise

▶ Checking out opportunities in court-annexed mediation programs

▶ Finding out what you can do in the public sector

▶ Exploring ombuds, restorative justice, victim offender, and diplomatic opportunities

▶ Branching out into consulting, speaking, training, and writing

I

n the mediation field, general practitioners are few and far between.

Almost everyone specializes. Some mediators are lawyers, most of whom

mediate litigated disputes. Others are social workers, human resource pro-

fessionals, therapists, insurance claims adjusters, engineers, teachers, uni-

versity professors, physicians, nurses, or artists. Some work exclusively on

court-annexed panels or in restorative justice and victim-offender programs.

Many focus their efforts and expertise on divorce and other family disputes

or in the field of community mediation. Some even specialize in international

diplomacy.

This chapter presents your options so you can choose a niche that’s right for

you and begin to prepare for and pursue that niche.

Identifying Your Natural Market

Your natural market is the field you’re in right now. Corporate law, bank-

ruptcy law, personal injury, commercial real estate, human resources, educa-

tion, you name it — whatever field you’re in, your area of expertise is your

natural market. This is the best place to start carving out a niche because

you already have the experience and connections to get started.

The following sections reveal some of the opportunities you’re likely to find

in both the litigated and nonlitigated arena, along with opportunities in spe-

cific industries.