Alternative Dispute Resolution

Atherton Law PLC is committed to helping people resolve their disputes quickly, satisfactorily and cost-effectively. In his litigation practice, Attorney Atherton has found that negotiation, mediation and arbitration have often been the best way for his clients to achieve those goals. Mr. Atherton’s diverse personal and professional experiences, coupled with his many years of legal practice, have enabled him to assist many people to successfully resolve their disputes.

Should you or your counsel be interested in having Mr. Atherton mediate and/or arbitrate your disputes, give us a call. In addition to helping you resolve existing disputes, we can also provide you with mediation and/or arbitration language to include in contracts, Stipulations and/or other documents to help you avoid costly and time-consuming litigation.

The keys to successful mediation, in Mr. Atherton’s experience, have always been:

1. The personal integrity/impartiality of the mediator.

2. The mediator’s knowledge of the relevant law and ability to provide impartial feedback on the relative merits of parties’ positions.

3. The mediator’s willingness to understand the human side of the conflict and properly account for what might be referred to as the psychology of reaching a deal.

4. An ability to recognize, typically before the parties do, the place where a mutually satisfactory resolution can likely be reached and to help the parties find that place.

The keys to successful arbitration are somewhat different than with mediation because an arbitrator serves in more of a judicial capacity. Once again, personal integrity and impartiality are paramount, but a greater emphasis must be placed on the arbitrator’s knowledge of the relevant law and ability to discern the truth from conflicting testimony.