Welcome to our website.  That you’re here suggests that you or someone you know is engaged in a tough and seemingly irresolvable dispute. Helping to resolve disputes in ways that work for you is what we do; we are dispute resolution experts. Experience tells us that parties having disputes very often need our skills in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to find those turning points that transform what seems hopeless into satisfying outcomes. So let's get started by examining some ADR fundamentals.

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is a process and a set of techniques used to resolve disputes outside the judicial trial system. In the United States, the best known forms of ADR are arbitration and mediation. Arbitration, in which a referee hears both sides and renders a judgment, has been widely used as the preferred method of alternative dispute resolution for many years, particularly in business disputes. However, mediation, because it relies on the parties to develop their own resolutions with the help of mediators, has recently made significant gains as a preferred method of ADR. Mediation and arbitration have become more widely used as court caseloads increase, and judges and court staffs are reduced. It is also more attractive to the parties to a dispute because they have more control and participation in the final resolution. In addition, unless court ordered, mediation and arbitration are confidential and private proceedings and their results are not usually subject to public disclosure.

You should know that mediation and arbitration are generally less costly and less time consuming approaches to handling disputes than litigation; and mediation is less costly and time consuming than arbitration. In both forms of ADR, participation is voluntary, unless court-ordered or mandated by contract or agreement. Participants in the mediation process always retain the right to stop negotiating and turn to the more traditional form of litigation to resolve the dispute.

To find out more about us, our ADR specialists and the particulars of ADR, please click on the various buttons at the top and/or on the right side of this page.