When an individual or business entity has a legal matter they need resolved, one of the most common actions they take is to contact a skilled attorney who has extensive experience with the particular area of law pertaining to their unresolved legal matter. While this works in the majority of cases, there are alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services available to resolve such matters. Mediation, for example, is the process by which a skilled mediator (often an experienced attorney) will attempt to help two parties settle their legal disputes or issues by finding points they can agree upon and bringing them to compromise or settlement.
Mediation is not the same as arbitration as the mediator is not there to judge the two parties out-of-court, he or she actively participates in the mediation in an effort to resolve the conflict outside of a court setting. Mediation is regularly employed in contract disputes, civil disputes, domestic disputes, divorce cases, child custody disputes and more. While there are fees associated with mediation services, the time and money put into mediation is often substantially less than if the legal matter has to be taken to court. Another, sometimes overlooked, advantage of mediation is that most mediations are strictly confidential, that means the exact terms and matters discussed as part of the negotiation process remain between the mediator and the negotiating parties. The only exception is in cases involving instances of child abuse or threatened criminal acts.
Of course there is no guarantee that mediation services will fully resolve any given legal matter, however, as a seasoned and highly-knowledgeable Houston business law attorney who has extensive experience representing a wide range of business and entertainment law cases, I am committed to delivering the utmost professional services in order to seek to obtain the optimum results for my clients. Due to my business law background and legal successes, I am also able to offer a unique perspective when it comes to mediations, which not all mediators have the experience to provide.
If you have any questions about mediation or want to find out if mediation is right for you, please contact Patricia M. Davis, Attorney at Law and schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your needs.