Alternative Dispute Resolution
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.” – Mahatma Gandhi
As general counsel and chief ethics and compliance officer for healthcare provider companies with billions in revenue, conflict was my daily bread. Disputes with payors, contract partners, regulators, customers, and others made up a major part of my to-do list.
Over time, I became convinced that parties can do a better job of resolving issues through mediation, instead of surrendering control over the outcome to an arbitrator, judge, or jury. This seems especially true when the parties expect to have a continuing relationship.
“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” – John F. Kennedy
Even where no future relationship is likely, the process of mediation can itself generate new thinking and new approaches to problems, even problems that may seem quite distinct from the immediate dispute. And leaving aside the obvious advantages of mediation over litigation in terms of costs and time, it is hard to overstate the benefit to the parties of having control over the mediation process and its outcome.
I offer mediation services either virtually or in-person (with appropriate precautions as needed and without charge for travel time). If you have a dispute that I could help with, please get in touch.