Mediation is not a settlement conference; it is not a trial; it is not a debate of the legal issues in the case. Mediation is an attempt by the parties – assisted by a mediator – to reach an agreement to settle their dispute. That process, when done right, gets beyond the parties’ legal and factual positions to determine their real interests and to try to find ways to accommodate those needs. Even in the typical case where the parties are arguing over money, a creative mediator can help the parties frame a creative solution that resolves the issue.
As a mediator, it is my job to help the parties find that solution. I am neither facilitative nor evaluative – and am both. That’s the flexibility that a mediator needs to bring to a given situation; each matter needs its own approach. What I am is a good listener, who is creative in finding solutions, persuasive, and absolutely dogged in getting to a resolution. To me, getting the parties to settlement is a challenge and I will work with you to get there, however long it may take.
My experience in mediation covers a broad range of matters, such as franchise and distribution disputes, breach of fiduciary duty by a trustee, dissolution of closely held corporations and related valuation, valuation of assets in connection with marital dissolution, wrongful death and serious personal injury, and financial services and lender liability matters.
I have trained at the Straus Institute at Pepperdine Law School and at the Center on Dispute Resolution at Quinnipiac Law School. In addition to my private practice, I have served as a settlement master in the Superior Court for the Judicial District of Stamford.