One of the best litigators I know tells me that he often attends more complicated mediations armed with one or more draft settlement agreements. Among the benefits: (i) focusing on the important points, (ii) saving time at the mediation, (iii) having the opportunity to review certain areas of potential settlement with experts in the field (tax, real estate, labor, for example) and (iv) having the benefit of being the drafter, often important in a number of ways.