Arbitration and mediation

We resolve problems outside of litigation, in all forms of dispute resolution alternatives, including:

  • Negotiation
  • Mediation
  • Binding and nonbinding arbitration
  • Fact finding
  • Early neutral evaluation

In mediation, parties can control their destiny by crafting a resolution they could not necessarily obtain from a court or in a jury trial. The opportunity for creative or innovative resolution makes mediation the option of choice for many. Mediation is an especially effective method to settle disputes involving ongoing business or employment relationships, and assorted claims involving contracts, construction and benefit claims. Porter Wright attorneys have experience as both mediators and mediation advocates.

As advocates, our lawyers know the many advantages of mediation for our clients: party-control, speed, simplicity and cost effectiveness. They understand mediation requires a different set of problem-solving skills than those used in litigation. Best of all, our attorneys effectively use these skills in mediation to avoid the uncertainties of litigation, especially the costly ones.

As neutrals, our mediators combine decades of successful problem-solving experience as trial attorneys and counselors with extensive training and experience serving as neutral mediators. Together with their training, experience, insight, knowledge and skill as practitioners, our attorney mediators facilitate dialogue among adversaries and help parties achieve cost-effective, efficient resolution.

Arbitration can be a cost-effective alternative to prolonged litigation and, most importantly, the proceeding can be tailored by the parties to allow for an expedited, efficient process to be decided by an experienced and knowledgeable neutral. Our attorneys make effective use of truncated or bifurcated proceedings to balance the parties’ need for information with the arbitration goal of less discovery, so that arbitration delivers on its promise of lower cost and efficient resolution of business disputes.

Porter Wright attorneys have considerable experience both in representing parties in arbitrations and serving as neutral arbitrators, which gives our attorneys the unique position of evaluating and handling arbitrations from this dual perspective. We have long-time arbitrators on the panels of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), American Arbitration Association (AAA), AIDA Reinsurance and Arbitration Society (ARIAS-US) and the Association of Insurance and Reinsurance Run Off Companies (AIRROC).