“Yvonne’s problem-solving style is to listen
carefully and intently to both sides and to
stay with the case as long as it takes to bring
it to a fair resolution,” Weiss says. “Maybe
most importantly, she does her mediation
work in a way that makes the process very
comfortable for the litigants. When the
parties leave her, I really think they feel that
the system has worked for them.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sherry Fallon,
who worked on a number of mediations
with Saville before becoming a judge,
agrees. “She accurately asses both sides of
a dispute without wasting any time,” Fallon
says. “She is very personable and earns
the confidence of even the most difficult
individuals in mediations.”
So what happens when a mediation
seems destined for disaster? “Experience
tells you what you need to do in that
case,” she says. “Body language tells
you what to do. The emotions that you
see on someone’s face tell you what to
do. I cannot stress enough for anyone
who wants to become a mediator how
important it is to give them the chance
to talk. A lot of times all people want is
to talk it out with somebody. And not
everything settles at the mediation, either.
I have a diary system that allows me to
continuously check in on a matter. Often,
after having time to digest everything that
was said, these cases settle days after the
mediation takes place.”
The cases that do walk out her door
headed for the courthouse steps are
tracked by her office. That way, Saville
can see how the jury ruled and use that
information down the road in similar cases.
The detractors of mediation say it cuts
down on the amount of case law being
created. But Saville says the benefits
outweigh any potential drawbacks.
“We have a great court system here in
Delaware, some of the finest judges in
the country,” she says. “I don’t think we’re
lacking in any good case law, and we don’t
want our courts to be overwhelmed.”
If getting on Saville’s schedule was
tough before, it will get even harder July
1, when she becomes the seventh woman
to serve as president of the Delaware
State Bar. Saville says that one of her key
focuses will be issues specific to the state’s
small and solo practices. “These types of
practices make up 50 percent of our bar
here, and I think, if I’ve done the math
correctly, in the last 22 years, only three
lawyers from such firms will have served in
the role of president.”
It’s another responsibility for Saville to
fit into her agenda, but she knows she can
count on the support of her professional
and private networks when needed. “My
husband works right up the block,” she
says, “so on those days when I need a little
help, he’s there to share dropping off and
picking up the kids.
“My whole life is really a 10-mile circle,
and I love it.”
