A business dispute can often arise between joint owners of a business, between a company and a client, between the business and employees, or between two or more businesses. Conflicts may also arise with vendors, contractors, or even among employees. When business conflicts or workplace disputes arise, business mediation services can serve as an essential tool in avoiding costly and lengthy litigation.
Protracted business disputes can be distracting and expensive, diverting precious time and resources from your business. In these situations, hiring a business mediation expert can mean averting a costly personal and business disaster. Quickly, quietly, and amicably resolving business conflicts is crucial for many high-net-worth entrepreneurs, employers, and business owners in Central California. When these are your priorities, business dispute mediation is a perfect solution for you.
Off the Record Mediation Services, LLC provides mediation services for business disputes, employment disputes, family disputes, and amicable divorces throughout Central California. Mediation is a means of alternative dispute resolution where a neutral mediator facilitates the resolution of conflicts. Effective business mediation requires the mediator to consider the specific details of your business conflict while applying proven business mediation techniques. The mediator is not a judge and does not make binding decisions for the parties. Instead, a mediator for business disputes assists the parties in reaching a mutually agreeable solution, which can then be translated into a binding settlement agreement. If a court case has been filed, the mediated settlement agreement can typically be filed as a stipulation with the court.
Dorit L. Goikhman, the founder of Off the Record Mediation Services, is a trained mediator and an attorney. Dorit is experienced with providing neutral mediation services for businesses of all sizes, including mediation services for small businesses throughout Central California. Dorit can also provide business mediation consulting, to assist parties in achieving their best interests in workplace or business mediation. She is ready to help you reach the most time- and cost-efficient solution to your business’s dispute. Contact her for a free consultation on how mediation can help resolve your business dispute.
How does business dispute mediation work?
The business mediation process varies depending on the needs of the business, the type of dispute, and the needs of the parties. A workplace mediation may have its own process, which must be considered carefully together with your company’s HR policies.
Because business mediation strategies and needs can vary so greatly, a professional business mediator will craft the process to fit the specific needs of your unique business conflict or workplace conflict. If you are considering business or employment mediation in or around Central California, you may schedule a free 30-minute consultation in order to more specifically discuss our process for mediating business disputes.
As a professional business mediator, Dorit will help you address specific concerns in joint sessions or meetings with the other parties. In doing so, Dorit will guide the discussion, ensuring that any open issues are addressed for a final and complete resolution. Once a resolution is reached, Dorit will help you draft an agreement to memorialize the solution in a written agreement. This agreement is typically called a mediated settlement agreement, and it can serve as a private contract between the parties. If a court case is pending, the mediated settlement agreement may also be filed with the court as a resolution of your case.
Mediation is generally considered a confidential settlement discussion. This means that the discussions and information revealed in mediation must remain confidential, with minimal exceptions. If you cannot reach an agreement in mediation, other avenues of dispute resolution are still available, including arbitration and litigation. Because neither party can use the conversations or information provided during mediation in litigation, the business mediation process tends to be a very valuable one with minimal risks.
What business disputes can I resolve with mediation?
Mediation can resolve any business dispute in your Central California business, including but not limited to the following:
- Mediation in the Workplace – disputes or conflicts between employees or relating to employment
- Breach of contract disputes – when one party to a contract fails to perform their portion of an agreement, mediation can help find a solution to avoid litigation
- Partnership disagreements – if there is a disagreement between partners in a business and the partners want to ensure they preserve the relationship
- Employment disputes – when it helps to have a private, quick resolution to a dispute between an employer and an employee
- Corporation, partnership, or LLC dissolution – when the owners of a company are ready to dissolve the organization and need assistance with finding a solution to which the owners can agree
- Family-owned business disputes – when the goal is to preserve the relationship between family members who share a business, mediation is an excellent way to maintain that relationship while finding a resolution to the dispute
- Business Conflict Resolution – any conflict or disputes between businesses or relating to business
Why should I choose business dispute mediation?
Mediation has many benefits that can help your Central California business. Business mediation benefits include:
- Is cost-effective and saves time. Mediation is known to be more cost-effective and time-effective than litigation. What could take years through a court with many attorney hours can often be resolved in days or weeks with mediation.
- Preserves relationships. For example, in dealing with supplier relationships, partnership disputes, or family-owned businesses, your goal may be to find a solution and ensure you can maintain the relationship. Mediation is a non-contentious process focusing on finding a solution rather than on either party winning. Thus, mediation sets you up for a healthy relationship after the dispute.
- Provides you with control. Mediation allows you to have more control over the outcome than you would through litigation. The parties are working together to find a solution that they can live with versus allowing the judge or jury to decide what should happen. Dorit may also suggest a solution or facilitate the conversation, which leads to an innovative resolution that may not have been available otherwise.
- Minimizes publicity of the dispute. Lastly, when privacy or publicity is a concern, the confidential nature of mediation is a benefit. The parties can freely discuss concerns because the conversations are confidential, with limited exceptions. Thus, you can resolve disputes without publicity around the conflict. Plus, the confidential nature of mediation encourages you to participate and resolve the disagreement versus dragging it out through court.
Why should I choose Off the Record Mediation Services?
Through Off the Record Mediation Services, Dorit serves employers, high-net-worth business owners, and entrepreneurs. As a trained attorney, Dorit has experience finding creative solutions for her clients. As a trained mediator, Dorit has experience helping business owners find solutions that work for them and meets their need to find a solution discreetly.
Book a free 30-minute consultation with Off the Record Mediation Services today if your aim is to discreetly, quickly, and efficiently find a solution to your dispute while preserving the relationship with the other party.