Kick & Gilman - Attorneys At Law

Loudonville, Ohio

Negotiation, Mediation, and Arbitration

Many people do not want to be involved in court proceedings. Whether it is a dislike or disbelief in the adversarial proceedings, a desire to avoid drawn-out lawsuits, or a desire to avoid the high costs of litigation, many do not want to be in court.

In recent years these concerns have led the legal community to respond with alternative methods of dispute resolution. At Kick and Gilman we are happy to offer several of these alternatives. Each allows parties to bring their disagreements to a close by a less formal method that is usually less costly.

These alternatives include:

Negotiation - In a negotiation, our attorneys can represent you in working with another party or that party's attorney in trying to come to an agreement. This process is very common in creating terms for settlements or contracts where two parties disagree.

Mediation - A mediation is a process in which our attorneys act as neutral parties to help you and the party you have a dispute with sit down, discuss the facts and come to an agreement. Our attorneys are completely neutral in the matter and you and the other party are encouraged to have the final agreement reviewed by an attorney who is looking out for your rights. For a mediation to be possible, both parties have to agree to participate in it.

Arbitration - In an arbitration, the parties ask an attorney or other person to render a decision after hearing evidence. These are less common and subject to many rules and law.

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