Mediation

Ruth's Approach
A practical and empathetic approach to analyzing disputes is the hallmark of Ruth's mediation practice. Through her extensive professional experience and educational background, she understands that a majority of workplace and commercial disputes stem from difficulties in interpersonal communication, divergent opinions as to expectations and responsibilities, and at times, complex personality conflicts. While there are some disputes that will result in intractable litigation, Ruth encourages parties to evaluate disputes early on with an eye toward settlement, given the statistical probability that a high percentage of litigation settles before trial, but often at a very high economic and emotional cost.

Ruth has successfully mediated many disputes, including both threatened and pending litigation, in a variety of employment-related and commercial cases. She has a high success rate and has received enthusiastic recommendations from both the plaintiff's and defense bar.

Preparation is essential to successful mediations
Once retained to mediate a case, Ruth works with counsel and the parties before the mediation session to set the stage for successful negotiations. To prepare for mediation, counsel and the parties should consider who should attend the session, obtain full settlement authority, gather essential information, assemble relevant documents, research any novel legal issues, plan opening comments for the joint session, and evaluate settlement strategy and objectives.

Client Evaluations of Ruth's Mediation Style
Ruth is listed with the web-based rating service, www.positivelyneutral.com, where parties may review (without charge) evaluations and ratings by attorneys who have used her mediation services. The client evaluations are unanimous in concluding that they would use Ruth's services again if the need arose.

Client Comments*

• “Thank you for your help, Ruth. My clients are very happy to have disposed of the matter. I�m grateful for the way you shepherded them through the process; your work made our mediation far easier, and more successful, than it might otherwise have been.”
• “Thank you for your kind words and for your help yesterday. I think you were an indispensable party in helping bring both sides closer together. I appreciate all of your efforts.”
• “As usual, you were great! Thank you for pulling another rabbit out of your hat!”
• “Thank you Ruth. You were a huge help in this process.”
• “Last Friday morning, I had a high degree of skepticism that the day would end with a settlement, and as you know, my client almost left a few times during the day in the face of what he was hearing from the other side. Your persistence and clarity, however, kept the parties on task, and we did indeed reach a settlement. But for your involvement, that would not have happened. Thank you for an excellent job.”
• “Thank you once again for your hard work and skill. You are truly the best I have ever seen - and I am continually grateful for your kindness and support.”
• “I also want to thank you for your work yesterday. I admired and respected how you worked us through the process in order to achieve an outcome by the end of the day. You are a true professional!”
• “I do appreciate all of your substantive assistance in arriving at a settlement of this matter. Your professionalism and integrity, as well as your skills as a mediator, were very much appreciated.”
• “We just finalized and executed the papers. Thanks again for your help, you did a GREAT job as always! (I think everyone was happy.)”
• “Thanks again for the outstanding job you did in mediating this case with unprecedented hostility. It’s truly a testament to your skill and abilities, once again!”
• “Thank you so much for your efforts. I don’t think we get there without your wisdom, patience, forthrightness and ability to connect.”
• “It was our pleasure to work with you. Your excellent reputation is well deserved and thank you for getting us to the finish line.”
• "I believe the parties made the correct choice in selecting you to serve as Mediator in this difficult matter. Without a doubt, you made a significant contribution to the resolution of the dispute."
• "You were able to help [my client] feel heard, and help her feel that what happened to her and others [at company] was (finally) being taken seriously. It is because of the tenacity, skill, and humor that you brought to the table as a former employment litigator-turned-neutral that [my client] decided it was time for closure."
• “Thank you very much for all of the talent, skill, and patience that you brought to bear in the successful effort to settle this matter. Your ability to make both sides recognize the various serious and significant risks they would take by going to trial, to keep everyone focused on the important issues, and most important, to move the sides to compromise was, I believe, the essential ingredient in enabling the successful result.”

Representative Cases*

• Multiple party retaliation, discrimination, wage and hour cases
• Class action state and federal wage and hour cases
• Sexual orientation case against elementary educational program
• Dissolution of accounting firm partnership
• Pregnancy discrimination claim in financial services industry
• Gender and harassment claims against law firms
• Pregnancy discrimination claim in media company
• Race/age/retaliation claim against pharmaceutical manufacturer
• National origin claim against hotel
• State court race/religion/sexual harassment case against non-profit organization
• Federal court discrimination claim of private university professor
• Federal court age discrimination claim against publishing company
• Various claims of sexual harassment by employees of securities broker/dealers
• Internal claim of religion/race discrimination by supervisor at a commercial bank
• Federal court disability discrimination claim against major retail department store
• Threatened sex harassment claim against garment manufacturer
• Breach of employment contract claim by physician against hospital group
• Compensation and commissions dispute between salesperson and car dealership
• Dispute arising under requirements contract between commercial laundry and restaurant
• Shareholder dispute in construction industry

*Prior results do not guarantee a similiar outcome.