Don’t Wait for the Courthouse Steps to Settle
Traditional mediation wastes hours posturing. We combine mediation tactics with “Triple Blind Deal Detection” technology to find any settlement overlap instantly—without you ever having to show your hand.
The “old model” is broken. In the standard litigation cycle, mediation is treated as a checkbox event weeks before trial. By that point, depositions have been taken, experts have been paid, and both sides are entrenched. The result? A “half-day” session where most of the time is spent posturing for a mediator’s proposal. And most of the time, parties walk away without a resolution.
We believe there is a better way.
A Neutral Settlement Architect, Not Just a Referee
When you book with Joe Jones, you are not blocking out 8 hours months from now in a conference room. You are engaging a neutral party to enter the case today.
My process begins with a simple Introductory Strategy Call.
Early Entry: I am ideally engaged as a neutral prior to, or early in, the discovery process.
Continuous Engagement: We don’t wait for a single “mediation day.” We look for settlement windows immediately.
Cost Containment: By identifying the settlement value early, we prevent both the Plaintiff and the Defense from expending exorbitant resources on litigation that doesn’t add value to the claim.
How Lightning Mediation Works
Step 1: The 30-Minute Briefing
Please do not book a half or full-day mediation. Instead, each side schedules a separate 30-minute video conference for counsel to brief me on the core issues. Client presence is optional. I charge a highly reduced fee of $250 per side to initiate this process.
Step 2: The Triple-Blind Threshold Test
If I cannot get the case resolved during those initial 30 minutes, the parties are required to utilize StreamSettle. StreamSettle is an unbiased, secure platform designed to instantly detect when a settlement overlap exists between the two parties’ true positions.
• The Incentive: If the case resolves on StreamSettle during this first threshold test, I will completely refund/waive your initial $250 fee.
• The only fee charged by StreamSettle is a 1% success fee if the case settles on the StreamSettle platform. For example, if your case resolves on StreamSettle for $50,000, each side would be charged $500 by StreamSettle. That fee is also currently capped at $1,000 per side, but that cap is increasing to $5,000 per side in May 2026. However, all users who confirm their account before then will maintain the $1,000 cap.
Step 3: Half-Day Mediation
If the case does not during one of the previous steps, we will then schedule a half
day mediation (my standard $1,000 fee). The $250 you already paid for Step 1 will be credited directly toward this mediation fee.
How the StreamSettle Test Works: For this process to work, both sides must confidentially submit their True Settlement Thresholds (TSTs) into our triple-blind
environment.
• For the Defense: You must enter the truly highest number you could pay on this case, taking into account the full estimated costs of a litigation workup.
• For the Plaintiff: You must submit the truly lowest threshold that your client authorizes you to accept.
Powered By Technology
Cut Through Posturing
Negotiation often fails because neither side wants to “bid against themselves.” As the Founder and CEO of StreamSettle, I utilize proprietary Triple-Blind Deal Detection technology to remove this fear.
Confidential Threshold Submission
Plaintiff and Defense counsel securely input their confidential True Settlement Threshold (TST) into the platform.
The “Triple Blind” Safety
Neither side sees the other’s number. Additionally, StreamSettle and I are also blind to the inputs.
The Process
Using a patent pending process and advanced encryption protocols, the system detects if there is an overlap without knowing or revealing the inputted numbers.
The Result: Overlap Detected
If the defendant is willing to pay at least as much as the plaintiff is willing to accept, the case settles instantly at the midpoint of the overlap.
The Result: No Overlap Detected
Using a patent pending process and advanced encryption protocols, the system detects if there is an overlap without knowing or revealing the inputted numbers.
Meet Joe Jones
Joe Jones is a Texas mediator, CEO and Co-Founder of StreamSettle, and a board-certified personal injury attorney with years of hands-on negotiation experience.
He created Lightning Mediation after seeing the same delays and inefficiencies that occur in traditional settlement negotiations. While more than 90% of cases resolve without trial, many settle much later than necessary—costing both sides additional time and money.
Traditional offers and demands are often exaggerated, making it difficult to know whether a case can realistically settle. Lightning Mediation was designed to solve that problem with a faster, smarter, and more efficient process.
Zero Risk Resolution
If the TSTs do not overlap, the numbers are never revealed, and no leverage is lost. Both parties proceed knowing for certain that a settlement was not possible yet.
Instant Resolution: If an overlap is detected, the claim resolves instantly and automatically at the precise mathematical midpoint. Each side does as well or better than they were willing to, making it a guaranteed win-win.