Mediation in the Court of Appeals is an informal process in which an attorney without any connection to the appeal, selected and trained by the Court to assist in this manner, meets with the parties and their lawyers to help them try to reach an agreement that will resolve the dispute and dispose of the appeal. The process involves one or more sessions in which counsel, persons with settlement authority and the mediator participate, either in person or by telephone. These sessions may continue over a period of time. The mediator has no power to render a decision or to dictate a settlement. His/her function is exclusively to help the parties reach an agreement if it is possible.