Ray Harding received his law degree from Brigham Young University in 1978. He then practiced law for 17 years before being appointed to serve as a District Court Judge in Utah where he served for 7 years. Following that service, he has now been successfully mediating cases for the past 12 years where he has become widely recognized for his ability to settle difficult cases that others thought could not be settled. As a former Judge Ray Harding is able to combine his judicial insight with his mediation skills to bring a successful resolution to even the most difficult cases.
Ray Harding stays very busy mediating 5 days a week and serves a wide range of clients and handles a variety of cases in his practice traveling daily to different law offices in Utah to assist clients and their attorneys bring resolution to their lawsuits without the necessity of trial. His passion for dispute resolution is evident in his meditations as he searches out and finds the key to successful resolution. He gives every meditation his very best effort and has achieved a great reputation in the legal community for successful dispute resolution. He describes each mediation as a new challenge and new adventure as well as an opportunity to get to know new and interesting people.
Ray Harding can be reached through his website at www.mediationutah.com.
Where did the idea for your mediation business come from?
I first gained an interest in mediation while serving as a judge. I discovered that people obtained better results in mediation than they obtained by submitting cases for decision to a judge.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
My typical day starts at the law office of one of the attorneys for the parties to the mediation at 9 am where we start mediation and ends when we reach a conclusion to the mediation. The length of my work day is determined by the parties and the complexity of the dispute. I stay productive by keeping the parties on task and focused on dispute resolution.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I bring ideas to life by introducing them to the parties as possible solutions to their dispute and exploring with them the possible resolution of their case with the use of these solutions.
What is one trend that really excites you?
The trend that is most exciting to me is the growth of mediation as a process to resolve disputes. When I first started practicing law 36 years ago mediation was an infrequently used process. Today it is frequently used and results in most cases being resolved without the necessity of a trial.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
My ability to stay focused on resolving a problem until it is resolved without giving up despite the challenges presented may well be my most productive habit.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I would handle one meditation per day as I do now, as each mediation has its own pace, and if it is going to be a successful mediation the time it takes to resolve cannot be predetermined by my schedule.
As an entrepreneur what is one thing that you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
The one thing I do over and over is to give each case my very best effort. This has brought me much success and has built my reputation. I recommend this to everyone operating any type of business.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
I have found that staying result oriented, which in the mediation field is bringing resolution to the parties, has been the most important strategy to grow my business.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I like to provide lunch for the parties and their attorneys at my meditations and believe that it helps promote good will and helps everyone stay on task.
What software do you use and what do you love about it?
I use Microsoft office to produce documents and I love that it has excel spreadsheets and has easy to use document production.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
I have been influenced by many other judges and legal scholars. Additionally, my father, who also served as a judge for many years, certainly influenced my view of what a successful dispute resolution process should look like.
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