MEDIATION

“Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man.”

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln’s words are as applicable today as they were during his life . . . (save, of course, for the now politically incorrect gender specific reference, but let’s save that discussion for another day).  Mediation is an opportunity for people in conflict to come together to clarify issues, consider options, and to reach a mutually acceptable resolution to their dispute.  It gives the parties control of their own destiny. It gives them power.

As a mediator, Susan Holley brings substantial experience in business as well as her service as a trial lawyer to the table.  With a practice focused on labor and employment law, higher education, civil rights, disability, contracts, and business disputes, Ms. Holley has represented plaintiffs and defendants in variety of meditations.

Ms. Holley’s mediation style is flexible depending on the needs of the parties.  A facilitative approach can be used in situations where the parties are trying to resolve a conflict with an eye towards continuing a relationship.  In the litigated case, Ms Holley, in consultation with counsel, may use an evaluative approach to help the parties view their case from a neutral perspective.  More than anything, Ms. Holley is dedicated to creating a mediation process in which the parties and their representatives feel respected, valued, and confident that they are being heard.

“I realized that the true function of a lawyer was to unite parties riven asunder.”

Mahatma Gandhi