All inquiries and communications are strictly confidential, from counsel on either side of the dispute, before any engagement exists. The firm mediates matters in which all parties are represented by counsel.
A conflicts check is run before any substantive discussion, and all communications are held in strict confidence.
If it would be convenient, choose a time below to speak. Our first conversation is preliminary — a conflicts check is completed before any substantive discussion.
Most of this site is written for lawyers, because a lawyer is usually the one who calls. But you are the one who has to agree to a mediator, sit through the day, and live with what comes of it, so a word to you directly.
Mediation is a private day of structured negotiation. Your lawyer is beside you the entire time. The sides usually sit in separate rooms and I move between them, so you are never made to face anyone you would rather not. Nothing said in the room becomes part of any public record, and nothing is decided unless you agree to it. I will have read the file before we meet, and in private I will tell you plainly how I think a court would see the case; that candor is what you are paying for.
Yes. In private, party-selected mediation, the parties may jointly retain a neutral without regard to state lines. The firm travels nationally for probate, fiduciary, and complex civil matters by agreement of all parties, with each party represented by its own counsel, who prepare and review any agreement reached.
EASTERN SHORE MEDIATION
P.O. BOX 1473 · FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA 36533 · (205) 531-1116 · JIM@EASTERNSHOREMEDIATION.COM