What was the real nature of these serious disputes that were proceeding down the litigation–mediation route? To whom did these cases belong? What did litigation-linked mediation mean to the lawyers, parties, and mediators involved? These questions emerge upon examining the issue of defendants' attendance at mediation. In exploring the views of legal actors and mediators, followed by a comparison of disputants' perspectives certain important realities become apparent. Yet, in looking deeper, the findings represent much more than simply a matter of mediation participation. Through the conduit of analysis on the attendance issue, the data additionally provide insight into the diverse purposes and meanings ascribed to mediation itself by each of its actor groups.