Services
MEDIATION: Mediation is a voluntary process in which disputants attempt to reach settlement with the help of a third-party neutral who has no coercive power but who has skills to enable parties to reach agreements which have eluded them. Mediation can be helpful in neighborhood disputes, organizational conflict, disputes in the workplace, family conflicts, as well as matters that have been sued out (lawsuits). We offer both single-mediator mediation and co-mediation mediation.
Most Common Types of Mediation
Facilitative: The mediator structures the process to assist the parties in creating or finding solutions that produce a mutually agreeable resolution. The facilitative mediator does not provide advice or opinion during the mediation process.
Evaluative: The mediator assist the parties in reaching an agreement by pointing out the weaknesses in their case, predicting what the outcome will likely be if they go to court, and assisting them with evaluating the cost vs. the benefits of settling in or out of court.
(There are also more esoteric styles, including Transformative and Narrative)
ARBITRATION: Arbitration is an adjudicative process outside the court: That is, the parties contract to have someone other than a judge make the decision. The parties and their attorneys can fashion their own rules and choose their own decision makers. We offer arbitration in the areas of divorce, child custody and visitation, employment disputes, contracts, and oil-and-gas.
NEGOTIATION: We will provide hands-on negotiation consulting for contractual disputes, intra-organizational conflicts and inter-organizational disputes, and cross-cultural negotiations.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION DESIGN: Since corporation, governmental agency, and non-profit organization is unique, CMA tailors its Dispute Resolution Design to the particular structure, workplace culture, and needs of each client. Our work comprises the following:
Evaluating the dispute resolution mechanism(s) in place
Suggesting "tweaks" to improve processes in place that are viable
Working with the client to design a new (or different) dispute resolution
process
OMBUDSMAN: A generalist conflict manager for a corporation, a university, a hospital, or any other large organization with internal conflicts and unsuccessful dispute resolution mechanisms. The Swedish Legislature invented the concept 200 years ago as kind of an "Inspector General" who would review policies and issues in the Executive Branch. The flexibility inherent in such a position means that there is no singular description of what an ombudsman does: The design of the position conforms to the particular structure of the institution which decides to utilize one. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES can help design such an institution or serve as an outsourced ombudsman.
PARENTING TIME EXPEDITING: Although most lawsuits end with a settlement or trial, a divorce with children doesn't. The children get older, and their activities get more complicated. The parents also change: They move, get new jobs, remarry. All of these things impinge on access schedules and co-parenting. Whatever seemed reasonable or appropriate at the time of the divorce generally lasts no more than 18 months (sometimes not even that long). Repeat visits to court are expensive, and the new schedule is just as ephemeral as the first one. The Parenting Time Expediter ("PTE"), a neutral who first attempts to mediate but who, if mediation fails to produce an agreement, renders a decision about whatever parenting matter either disputant brings to the table. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES provides PTE services and also trains lawyers and mental health professionals to be parenting time expediters.
NON-BINDING ADVISORY OPINIONS: Every lawsuit represents a guess about an outcome in which half those who guess (the non-prevailing parties) are wrong. And guessing (i.e. a trial) is very expensive for both parties, win, lose, or draw. A non-binding advisory opinion is a relatively inexpensive, educated opinion about what is likely to happen if you proceed to trial. It is less expensive; by definition, it is non-binding; and contractually, neither party can mention the non-binding advisory opinion if the parties do not settle and proceed to trial. We offer non-binding advisory opinions about family law matters, employment law matters, and oil-and-gas matters.
PREEMPTIVE CONFLICT RESOLUTION: If you plan to marry, to start a business with one or more partners, to enter into a contractual relationship, it would be prudent to think through problems that might arise and how you would resolve them. We offer assistance at the front end, so that when problems inevitably do arise, you will be equipped to deal with them without disastrous results.
COACHING: Individual coaching is offered for all of our services and for individuals who are seeking tools and techniques to effectively manage emotions, fear, and conflicts.
TRAINING: Conflict Management Associates, LLC provides training in....
* Negotiation
* Mediation
* Arbitration
* Managing Emotions and Difficult People
* Conflict Management
* Others
