WALLACE KAUFMAN  -- MEDIATION, FACILITATION, ARBITRATION

Mediation can make things happen when nothing seems possible.  People come to mediation  with serious disagreements or positions that seem beyond reconciliation.  With the help of a skilled mediator, most people find that they begin to understand the needs behind each other's position.  Once that happens, they can begin to think about new ways to meet those needs.  They discover solutions they had never thought of or common ground that did not exist before.

Who can benefit?  I specialize in services for people with problems that I know from first hand experience. 

• property issues
  
• business disputes
• mortgage renegotiation and adjustment
  
• land use issues
• environmental conflicts
• contractor disputes
• real estate conflicts
  

These issues may stand alone or be part of a larger conflict.  Perhaps developers, government and citizens have solved most questions about a proposed project, but they cannot agree on sewage disposal or open space or how to save trees.  A mortgage lender and client may agree that the client should stay in the home but they cannot agree on new mortgage terms acceptable to both.  A couple has agreed on most terms of their divorce, but disagree on how to value and divide their property.

Not every conflict can be solved by mediation, but the great majority of people who enter mediation leave with a mutual agreement.  They arrive at that agreement voluntarily, without courts or juries or expensive and time consuming lawyer battles and prolonged legal maneuvers.

Mediators have different opinions about the value of their own expertise.  Many feel they do not need to have any special knowledge of the subjects about which clients disagree.  Some even feel this is best.  I believe that my personal work in the areas in which I mediate, enables me to listen better to what my clients say.  Better understanding leads to better mediating.