The costs, delays and broken relationships associated with litigation are leading businesses to find a new approach to settling disputes.  Owners and managers are discovering that they can preserve ties with key customers, suppliers, and employees if they mediate disputes, rather than take them to court.  More than 600 major American companies, including General Mills, Hershey Foods, Corp., Ralston Purina, McDonald’s and Jiffy Lube, among others, are using mediation and other alternative dispute resolution methods to resolve commercial disputes. These giants have led the way for medium and small businesses.  

Traditional dispute resolution methods are not well-suited to the fast-paced commercial world.  They reinforce an adversarial dynamic that makes it difficult for the business relationship to continue.  They are document-driven, highly-structured proceedings that prevent businesses from getting back to work before they lose their competitive edge. Mediation serves the interests of commerce better by providing an immediate, informal forum for negotiation at an affordable cost.  It is a low-risk process that keeps the control over the outcome in the hands of the parties.

In the mediation process, two or more conflicting parties meet to voluntarily reach a private and mutually satisfactory agreement with the help of an impartial third party.  No external authority imposes a decision. The mediator helps focus discussion, clarify issues, generate options, and put the terms of agreement in writing.    

Just about any commercial dispute can be addressed through the mediation process.  Contractual and partnership issues are typical. MediationWorks can schedule a Mediation session as soon as the parties agree on a convenient date and time.