Embarking on a new partnership can be exciting and daunting at the same time. Two common kinds of partnership - marriages and business relationships - come with challenges that can be avoided by ‘cooperation plans’ from the get-go. For marriages, this would mean a prenuptial agreement (‘prenup’). And for business partners…
Couples argue. No matter the strength of the relationship or the length of the commitment, conflicts happen because all people are different. Mediation can help couples whether they are considering marriage, working through issues in a committed relationship, or considering ending the relationship. Mediation allows couples to deal with…
Mediation can be thought of as ‘negotiation plus’ or ‘assisted negotiation.’ When talks get stuck, trained third-party neutrals can make the hard parts of the conversation easier. Mediators assist negotiations by enabling deals that address your needs while allowing you to maintain control of your outcomes.
The transition to caring for an aging family member who was once independent can be challenging. Problems can arise including the need for medical support, a loss of mobility, loneliness, and more. Even when everyone wants the best for the aging family member, it can be difficult to agree on what is “best. ” And adding family…
Whether we like it or not, divorces will happen. And maybe even more so as a result of COVID. So, if divorces are going to happen, wouldn’t it be better if they weren’t so painful? Mediation can be a more collaborative and less expensive alternative for divorces. The couple splits the fee for one mediator who works with them, rather…
Conflicts or disagreements can get stuck and cause discomfort when the people in the conflict make opposing demands. But skilled negotiators and those who enlist the help of mediators can overcome roadblocks by looking past each person’s ‘ask’ and getting down to the reasons behind those asks. This sets the stage for real…
An awkward topic for couples who are about to get married is whether or not to get a prenup. But while you may not want to think about divorce before you get married, it can be so much worse to have that conversation if you decide to separate and no longer like each other. This is where mediation helps. Mediation improves communication on…
As small business owners, there are two things that ring true for us - 1) Every dollar counts; and 2) Relationships matter. When issues or misunderstandings arise with vendors, suppliers, landlords, employees or even business partners, the longer that problem lasts, the more it can have a negative impact on profits and the bottom line. This is…
While historically used primarily for financial concerns, modern prenuptial agreements (or “prenups” for short) can cover a wide variety of topics including: student debt, pet parenting, social media and fertility concerns. Because of this flexibility, your prenuptial agreement can be comprehensive or brief depending on your…
The process of getting a divorce in New York can be daunting. The trained professionals at Venn Mediation can make things easier. From walking you through the steps, and the necessary paperwork and calculations, to helping find an agreement that works for you. Mediation can make the negotiation of terms easier and less painful, keeping…
HOPE MIRLIS is a wedding officiant, premarital counselor and offers a wedding yoga practice, all through her company, A More Perfect Union. She is a scoop of educator, a sprinkle of performer, a dash of administrator and a whole lot of positive, nurturing energy. After growing up in New York, Hope moved down south to Atlanta, then hopped…
Divorces are generally difficult and can cause anxiety no matter how amicable the breakup. Couples seeking divorce who choose mediation benefit from a collaborative and cost-effective process. In a first session with a divorce mediator, they will walk you through the necessary topics for a divorce agreement and ask about any additional ones you…
Co-parenting is an extremely important aspect of any divorce agreement, but can be difficult to negotiate. In many cases, children benefit from the ongoing involvement and emotional support of both parents. Mediation allows divorcing couples to work cooperatively on their divorce agreement in the best interests of their children, And it can even…
SANTALUM is a change management consulting firm that creates systems and tools to address inequity, complex conflict, and exclusion in the workforce. It was founded by Kiran Thadhani and Kyle Gibson. Together, Kiran and Kyle have led organizational change across cultures, contexts, and sectors in North America, Europe, Asia, North Africa,…
No two conflicts are ever the same. But there are common pit-falls that keep them from being resolved. Skilled mediators ask smart questions to help their clients understand each other and better achieve their desired outcomes. The result is creative solutions everybody can be happy with.
The holidays can be a great time to catch up with family. But for many people, they have one or two members of the family they just can’t see eye to eye with. Mediators have techniques that can help in just these circumstances. By creating a greater sense of understanding these techniques can make your next holiday get…
Mediation is a great tool for dealing with crises that could otherwise wind up in court and ultimately with broken business relationships and all sides worse off. But how exactly does that work? This is a case study in mediation - built off of real-life situations. It describes a dispute faced by a local business and how meditation led to a…
Confidentiality is central to the mediation process, but it’s scope and limitations can sometimes be unclear. Private mediators and non-profits can operate by different confidentiality rules and the nuances are important for people considering alternatives to costly litigation. Good mediators walk participants through how their…
A fundamental principle of mediation is that individuals get to make their own choices. Mediators understand that only the parties can know what outcomes will work for them and trust that people who craft their own solutions are in a better position to see them through. As such, good mediators do not impose outcomes or force the…
Mediators differ in their preferences between mediating alone or with other mediators. While a strong mediator can effectively resolve most disputes, having multiple mediators working together can be advantageous in many circumstances. Co-mediation provides parties with the combination of knowledge, experience, and skills that an effective team…
Mediators and negotiators know that not every deal is a good deal and that agreements can quickly fall apart if not carefully thought through. A key step in the mediation process is to ‘reality-test’ outcomes to ensure that they resolve any outstanding issues, leave no lingering questions that could reignite the conflict, and…
A mediation session, while being a space where people can tell their own stories, can be a story in itself. And like any good story, it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Sometimes the story doesn’t go as planned and oftentimes there are detours and unexpected moments. Experienced mediators, like Venn Mediation, provide a structure to…
When conflicts involve important and urgent matters, the urge to protect one’s interests can actually worsen outcomes and destroy potential value in the negotiation. A neutral intermediary - like a mediator - can help parties feel secure enough to go beyond their concrete “asks” to seek their underlying interests. In…
All couples fight, especially the ones that love each other. When someone is emotionally invested in a relationship small issues can feel amplified and can easily become big problems if they aren’t addressed. Couples Mediation can help those who want to fix problems before things fall apart. It enhances communication, allows a couple to…
Mediators are known for their commitment to their craft and to the quality of the service they provide. This has resulted in different schools of thought on how mediators can best serve their clients. The four most common approaches are: Facilitative, Evaluative, Narrative, and Transformative. While these four differ types in various ways, each of…
Neutrality of the third party is a fundamental value of mediation. So much so that mediators are often referred to as ‘neutrals’. At times, maintaining that neutrality can be challenging, even for the most experienced mediators. Good mediators learn to acknowledge their biases and manage them in order to provide the best service to…
The key values of mediation (self determination, neutrality, confidentiality, safety, and quality) guide the practice of mediators and form the basis for us providing the highest quality service to our clients. Adherence to these core values helps mediators ensure that clients achieve the best possible outcomes.
“I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to get middlemen out of my deals. Why on earth would I choose to add an intermediary into a negotiation? ” Having a third party like a mediator ‘get in the middle’ of your dispute or deal doesn’t have to make things more complicated. In fact, working with a…
Prenuptial agreements (‘prenups’) are uncomfortable to bring up but smart to have. The ‘prenup discussion’ is often awkward, but mediation can make the process easier. With the help of a neutral third party, the couple works together to raise their concerns and interests and to arrive at an outcome that they can both be…
When people have disputes that cannot be resolved by negotiation, their first inclination may be to sue the other party in court. Or they may seek alternative dispute resolution processes like mediation or arbitration which engage a neutral third party and gets them to a resolution more quickly. While each option has its pros and cons, mediation…
Conflicts in the workplace are common. What is less common are effective ways for resolving conflicts and corporate cultures that encourage employees to want to resolve those conflicts. Successful companies have clearly defined conflict management systems to address small issues before they become big problems. These systems can include assistance…
Many mediators get into the business because they want to help people. And they often see reaching final agreements as the signal that they have achieved this goal. But good mediators learn to overcome that inherent drive to get parties to a deal because they realize that a bad deal can be worse than no deal. Even when parties do not come to an…
At the ripe age of 36, Venn Mediation co-founder Alnoor Maherali took on his first unpaid internship. The hours were reasonable and the company, MWI, had its own ice cream fridge. But most importantly it gave him the chance to explore a newfound passion in mediation. Which eventually led him to co-founding Venn with Ehsan Ali. This is his journey.
COVID-19 has put a number of dispute resolution mechanisms on hold. But disputes have continued unabated. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) tools, like mediation, are effective options to resolve conflicts and are flourishing online despite a long-held assumption that they could only be done in-person. While the core principles of mediation…
Communication between parties is critical to the mediation process, which is why people are sometimes surprised to learn about the possibility of a ‘caucus’ - where the mediator speaks to each party separately. But caucusing can be a very useful tool in the mediator’s kit when the conversation seems stuck or when parties wish to…
In both good times and bad, live sporting events serve as a pastime for billions of people. Sports like basketball, hockey, football and baseball are both an emotional escape from reality, and an inspiration when our favorite players and teams succeed. With COVID-19, all of that has been on hiatus until safety conditions can be met to protect the…
Conflicts impose many concealed costs in businesses, which can compound over time and damage your organization’s bottom line. As a manager or business leader, even if you are uninterested in the good feelings that mediation can generate, you should be interested in mediation as a highly effective tool for improving your organization’s…
Mediation is a form of ‘alternative dispute resolution’ (ADR) that can be used to resolve interpersonal and commercial conflicts and disagreements. When most people think of mediation, the first things that come to mind are divorces and international disputes. But mediation actually has many more practical uses, including resolving…
These trying times serve as a reminder that the difficult conversations need to be had and sometimes that means we need a little help.
Cancel culture has mutated from a response to troubling behavior by otherwise inaccessible celebrities to a form of bullying against teens and youth. In the latter situation, the individual is isolated and ostracized, oftentimes without knowing why and with no way to fix the situation. Mediation is a form of conflict resolution that can help…
The economic fallout from COVID-19 has resulted in many tenants unable to make rent payments to their landlords. Though for some there was an initial reprieve, states are starting to lift their moratoriums on evictions leading to uncertainty and anxiety. If you are a landlord or a tenant, you may be wondering whether you have any option instead of…
Conflict is a part of life whether we like it or not. And while many people shy away from it, mediators are trained to ‘go towards the heat’. Because every conflict has at least one point of disagreement and emotions (heat) that come with that. Mediators go towards the heat because, rather than viewing conflict as a problem, we see it…
Commercial mediation can help individuals and companies resolve their business-related disputes. The field is broad and includes contractual disputes, conflicts between landlords and tenants, disagreements between business partners, and more. Mediation can help resolve all of these situations - while maintaining parties flexibility and their…
The age of COVID has seen an increase in conflicts - in the workplace, at home, and in business. Venn Mediation’s online facilitative approach is well suited to helping parties work through these issues in a collaborative and productive manner where the parties are in control of the outcome.
When you request a mediation, what is it signaling to the other party and could there be implications on the outcome of your negotiation? At Venn Mediation, we view a request to mediate as a sign of intelligence and confidence in your case and believe that you can have a better outcome if you give mediation a try.
Divorce mediation allows couples to define the terms of their divorce amicably and affordably and provides an opportunity to end the marriage with less toxicity. The result is a separation agreement that can be easily turned into a legal document and submitted to the court.
We’ve all seen it – whether in movies or in real life. The courtroom scene; lawyers scribbling notes while the witness gives testimony. Perhaps passing Post-It notes to the lead counsel. Very often this is what we see as being actively engaged while someone is talking. Mediators vary on whether to take notes or not, and…
The COVID-19 crisis has added immeasurable stress and anxiety to everyday life - whether your business is closed or still open and whether your loved ones are near or far away. This is exponentially true in the case of conflicts. A business or interpersonal dispute – a source of stress under normal circumstances – can…
Our passion for our work comes from the knowledge that justice is often complicated. And finding the right path for our clients requires a blend of empathy, open-mindedness and strong listening skills.
So, you are not sure if mediation is for you and you are curious about the mediation process. Before starting, it is important to understand the principles of mediation - that it is a safe, confidential, and voluntary process in which parties are treated fairly and equally, and given the chance to determine the outcome of their dispute.
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