Civil mediation is a dynamic process that focuses on business disputes (contract, property, sales, etc.) but can also include commercial, international and labor disputes. For practical purposes, any mediation that involves a non-family transaction is classified as civil mediation (but there may be overlap with family business disputes and family business succession planning, which may also be classified under Family mediation). 

What is the procedure in civil mediation?

State courts do not require that parties to a civil case mediate the case before the trial (except in small claim cases in some counties, when the amount in dispute is less than $7500). However, many courts allow the parties to choose to mediate their case rather than go through the court’s required arbitration procedure. If the dispute is not settled in mediation, then the case proceeds to arbitration or trial before a judge or jury.

Anything that was said in the mediation is confidential, so when the case comes to trial, the judge and jury do not hear about settlement offers or anything else that occurred in the mediation.

Workplace Mediation

Conflict at work is a costly business. It can happen in any workplace. Can lead to disputes in the workplace which impact employee job satisfaction, can increase absenteeism, reduce productivity and ultimately affect profitability. Not all conflict is bad, but when it becomes disruptive it can affect the well-being of every person in the workplace. The Knowledge Firm We will assist employers with an obvious conflict or we can come in and identify where the conflict is arising within the workplace. We can assist in bringing disputes to a conclusion without the undue expense of litigation.

Real Estate Mediation

Time is often of the essence in the sale of real property, whether it is commercial or residential.  Vendors may have commitments to purchase other property dependent on financing from the purchaser. Opportunities to relist or resell may have evaporated. Purchasers may have vacated other property and be in mid-move into the new premises. This can all lead to significant costs, not to mention anger and frustration.

We provide real-time dispute resolution on real estate transactions to allow the parties to reach interim and permanent solutions. Mediation allows both parties to sit with a neutral facilitator to seek solutions. Where negotiation of terms could take days, parties can quickly explore mutual interests and find possible win-win solutions.