Settlement and Mediation in Canadian Legal Television

Abstract

This article is a close cultural legal analysis of The Associates, a Canadian legal television program. It describes what The Associates reveals about popular understandings of settlement and mediation in Canada. The show portrays negative attitudes toward settlement and mediation, such as 'settlement is second best' or 'caving in.' Uniquely, however, The Associates also portrays positive attitudes, such as 'mediation is the future of law.' The tension between these negative and positive attitudes is highlighted through the character of Robyn Parsons, the female associate who most often advocates for mediation on the show. Through the character of Robyn Parsons, the problems that women lawyers, women negotiators, and women mediation advocates face are examined. The article concludes by suggesting the possibility that television may be able to create a larger cultural legal space for mediation in society and greater positive exposure for mediators.