Bertelson Law Office is a Minneapolis firm that has a high level of expertise in protecting the rights of employees and maintaining productive workplaces. This business is owned by Bert E. Bertelson who is recognized as a North Star Lawyer by the Minnesota State Bar Association. Bertelson Law Office has successfully represented a number of clients with employment law claims through mediation, litigation, and arbitration.
Bloch & Whitehouse, P. A. is a Bloomington firm that has more than 25 years of combined experience in handling family law matters. They have the option of mediation and collaborative law to resolve disputes. This firm also deals with all types of divorce cases, child custody and support matters, and arrangement modifications. Bloch & Whitehouse, P. A. also protects client's interests regarding debt and retirement account division, prenuptial agreements, and spousal maintenance.
Brown Law Offices, P.A. is a divorce and family law firm in Champlin that has been representing thousands of clients since 1998. Their family lawyers have represented teachers, doctors, homemakers, construction workers, executives, business owners as well as truck drivers, professors, accountants, engineers, and mortgage brokers. Brown Law Offices, P.A. has had many media appearances, including those with WCCO Television, Time Magazine, the Star Tribune, NBC News, Minnesota Monthly, USA Today and the Huffington Post.
Burns Law Firm is a business in Minneapolis that specializes in alternative dispute resolutions and civil litigation. This business is owned by Patrick Burns, who is licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota. He represents businesses, individuals, and non-profits with issues including personal injury, employment, commercial, and contract matters. Burns Law Firm handles arbitration and mediation as well.
Burns Law Office is a firm that practices family law for people in Burnsville and throughout the Twin Cities. The founder, John Burns, has been handling family law matters since 1992. This firm works with protection orders, premarital agreements, divorce appeals, and spousal maintenance concerns. They are also experts in domestic violence cases, child support and custody matters, and paternity rights.
Fishman, Carp, Bescheinen & Van Berkom, LTD represents the individuals of the Plymouth region for many legal areas including personal injury, products liability, and wrongful death. The firm also handles civil and commercial litigation and mediation as well as business law, criminal defense, social security, and workers’ compensation cases. Fishman, Carp, Bescheinen & Van Berkom, LTD has a team of professional attorneys that provide straightforward and honest legal advice.
Huson Law Firm is a Maplewood-based office that has been specializing in child support and custody cases for more than 20 years. They have expertise in solving divorce and family law (including same-sex households) matters, prenuptial agreements, and alternative dispute resolutions. Huson Law Firm represents clients who face domestic violence charges as well.
LeBlanc Law & Mediation is a firm in Minneapolis that deals with issues between employees and employers. They represent both employees and employers facing a wide range of employment law matters at reasonable rates. They handle cases involving religion, employment, gender, race, national origin, and age discrimination. LeBlanc Law & Mediation also works with issues like pregnancy, marital and familial status, disability, and sexual orientation inequity.
Linda F. Close is a law office in Minneapolis that offers alternative dispute resolution services as well as arbitration and mediation solutions. The firm helps clients resolve their legal differences without going to the trial by developing mutually agreeable solutions. This firm has mediated in areas involving special education, commercial contracts, employment, construction law, and personal injury. The business is owned by Linda Close who is an arbitrator of commercial disputes for the Panel of the American Arbitration Association.
Maser, Amundson, Boggio & Hendricks, P.A. is a law firm in Richfield that has been serving individuals and families for more than 25 years. They have a talented and experienced team of attorneys and staff that have the expertise in elder law, litigation, and life care planning. Maser, Amundson, Boggio & Hendricks, P.A. is a nationally recognized law firm with their lawyers' names on the Minnesota Super Lawyers list.
Olander Law Group is a Minneapolis-based law firm that handles mediation, arbitration, and litigation. The owner and operator, Brett Olander, has over 28 years of experience in dealing with employment, insurance, construction, product liability, and personal injury cases. They also mediate disputes between parties in many aspects of civil litigation including commercial litigation, professional malpractice, and select family law matters.
Ragan Law Firm is a legal office that offers services as an independent mediator, arbitrator, and evaluator to resolve commercial disputes in the Edina area. This business is lead by Chuck Ragan, who has been dealing with problematic commercial matters in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. for more than 30 years. Ragan Law Firm also handles corporate information law issues, including privacy, governance, and electronic discovery.
Ryan Law Firm is a legal practice office in Minneapolis that has been helping businesses for more than 35 years. The owner of the firm, Jim Ryan, has been recognized multiple times based on statewide surveys of Minnesota attorneys. Currently, Mr. Ryan is limiting his practice to serving as a mediator of cases in civil litigation.
The Law Office of James F. Dunn, P.A. is an Eagan-based legal office with a high level of experience practicing insurance and personal injury law. They also specialize in alternative dispute resolutions. This firm is founded by James F. Dunn who has over 30 years of experience in skillful representation and exceptional client service. The Law Office of James F. Dunn, P.A. also resolves a comprehensive list of civil and business disputes.
Mediation is an alternative to going to trial during legal disputes. The parties on both sides agree to work with an impartial third party who oversees discussions concerning the matter in dispute. The goal and hope of mediation is to come to a settlement or compromise that is agreeable to both parties. The mediator doesn't represent either party but works with both to help ensure that discussions are civil and agreements are as fair as possible given the situation. In many cases, if mediation fails, then the parties can move on to a trial in court.
Arbitration is another alternative to a court trial, but it's a bit more formal than mediation. During the arbitration, evidence and testimony is presented to a panel of people who act as judges of sorts. They issue an opinion about the matter in writing, and depending on how the arbitration was entered into, it may or may not be binding. If it's binding, the parties must accept and abide by the decisions of the arbitrators. Commonly, each side selects a third-party arbitrator, and each of those people selects a third person.
Arbitration and mediation both have pros and cons, and which one is right for you depends on your personal preferences, legal goals, and the details of your case. Mediation can offer more control, and because of that, those who go through it tend to report a higher level of satisfaction. But arbitration is more formal and may provide a more structured environment, which may be needed if civil discussions aren't possible.
If you can choose a mediator or arbitrator, it's critical to look for a neutral third party. Someone who is in any way tied to either side or who might have a known strong opinion on matters related to the case may not be the best option. Legal knowledge is important for mediators and arbitrators, but arbitrators should also have court experience. Retired or former judges or trial lawyers may be good choices for arbitrators, for example.
An arbitration agreement waives your right to seek legal remedies in court under certain circumstances, specifically, if you and the other party have unresolved disputes. You submit to binding arbitration over all matters, which can be somewhat risky as arbitration agreements are usually requested by companies that have arbitration processes set up, and those processes may not be impartial.
Mandatory arbitration occurs when someone is forced to use arbitration as a means of settling an issue. One of the most common scenarios for this is employment. Employers may require that employees sign an arbitration agreement before they can begin work. The employees then give up some rights to go to court over certain employment issues.
During a child custody mediation, the mediator will likely encourage each party to focus on the needs of the child or children. The parties work together to agree on custody. They typically won't discuss matters of child support, marital property, or other factors of the divorce—unless the mediation is for the whole divorce. If you are attending mediation, it is advised to come prepared to discuss what's in the best interest of your children and situation, but also be prepared to reach a compromise.
Divorce mediation enables two parties to work together to come to decisions about their divorce with the guidance of a third-party mediator. The mediator may help to work through child custody, child support, property division, and other divorce matters. You'll need to pay the mediator for their services, which may be a cost you split. Be prepared to make a civil and calm case for your side of issues, but know that mediation is about coming to a compromise that works for both parties.
Mediation is a voluntary process, and both parties must put in the work for it to succeed. If either party stops working toward a compromise, the mediation can fail. And, it can also fail if the parties reach a point that they simply can't agree. In such cases, you might choose another course of action, such as arbitration or a court trial.
