::Gosline & Reitman - Dispute Resolution Services::







   
 
 
 

EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION, EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT AND LABOR DISPUTES

Workplace disputes are costly and disruptive to the lives of employees and the functioning of workplaces. The partners have over 32 years combined experience involving employment disputes, including:

  • Mediation of a wide variety of sexual harassment, sex, age, race and disability discrimination cases, ranging from recently identified claims to cases scheduled for trial. We have mediated two-party and multi-party cases throughout New England and in Washington, DC
  • Mediation of disputes arising under employment and partnership relationships, including disputes among law firm members and university professionals
  • Facilitation of interest-based negotiations of collective bargaining agreements
  • Fact finding in sexual harassment cases
  • Arbitration of claims arising under labor contracts, state and federal statutes, and employment contracts

PUBLIC POLICY FACILITATION AND MEDIATION

Municipal, State and Federal governments are increasingly turning to processes that involve citizens in developing effective public policy, and to mediation to resolve disputes with citizens or organizations. We have extensive experience in designing processes, facilitating groups, and mediating disputes involving state and federal agencies, municipalities, and a wide variety of environmental and development interests. For example, we have facilitated:

  • The development of consensus on a state-wide process for transportation planning
  • Development of a new regulatory framework to protect wetlands.
  • An agreement by a 37-member steering committee of diverse interests on the relative ranking of environmental problems facing Maine
  • The design and facilitation of forums for hundreds of participants in New England and New York on issues including waterfront use, access to legal services, development of marine protected areas and distribution of federal funds in the fishing industry
  • Facilitation of statewide task forces on a variety of public policy issues including sound uses of shoreline areas, and solid waste disposal issues, and development of transboundary marine protected areas.

MEDIATION OF CIVIL LITIGATION

It is in everyone's interest to pursue a mediated settlement of any case which may involve civil litigation, whether two or more parties are involved. The partners at Gosline & Reitman regularly mediate these disputes.

Here is what attorneys write about Gosline & Reitman's mediation services:

"... extremely knowledgeable and skilled . . . . . developed an excellent rapport with both parties. [The firm's] skill in mediation resulted in a settlement which included not only compensation for the plaintiff ... but a handshake and an apology graciously accepted. . ."

"... In the course of the mediation, [the firm] succeeded in bringing to a settlement two parties with very different life experience and radically different views of both the facts and the law underlying the dispute. [The mediator] displayed the necessary firmness and understanding with my corporate client and ... showed a remarkable sensitivity to the plaintiff and her concerns..."

"...We would never have settled [this matter] without the mediation. . . I would like to thank you for your patient and rational approach to the parties and the issues."

STRATEGIC PLANNING, CONFLICT MANAGEMENT WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS, PARTNERING AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DESIGN

In today's world, organizations are constantly challenged by external pressures. Pressures may also arise when the organization is in transition, reorganizing, or merging with another organization. The results of these pressures can be confusion about the organization's direction and increased conflict among the employees of the organization. In addition, partnership issues which affect day-to-day operations may arise and be difficult to handle without outside help.

We have worked with many public, private, and nonprofit organizations on these issues. We have mediated disputes between partners in professional organizations, such as medical practice groups, law firms and businesses, and have facilitated:

  • conflict resolution and communication workshops for
    numerous organizations
  • strategic planning processes
  • discussions between officers of different organizations regarding possible merger
  • retreats for law firms and medical practices struggling with
    internal conflict
  • discussions within organizations to improve conflict
    management processes
  • partnering workshops for multiple organizations undertaking complex joint projects

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIP DISPUTES AND REALIGNMENT

Law firms, physicians' practices and family owned businesses go through change over time. Those changes can cause stress for all the partners/owners, as well as their staff. Sometimes the original vision of the partners no longer matches current conditions of the field or marketplace. We work with partners, providing a safe environment to address challenges they face.

  • We work with the partners of professional associations to bring their thinking into alignment with today's challenges.
  • When it is necessary for professional associations to end, we work with partners to plan for dissolution that honors their time together, leads to respectful separation, and provides for equitable compensation.

Medical Practices

Law Firms

Professional Partnerships

Family Businesses

TRAINING IN COMMUNICATION, NEGOTIATION & CONFLICT RESOLUTION

In our work, we often find that an organization is well served by providing skills training in communication, negotiation and conflict resolution. We have provided such services in a variety of venues, for example:

  • As teachers of the Alternative Dispute Resolution course at the University of Maine School of Law since 1996
  • As trainers in communication and conflict resolution principles and skills for private and non-profit organizations, as well as governmental agencies.
  • As teachers of 40-hour mediation training for mediators seeking to qualify for court mediation rosters.

FAMILY AND DIVORCE MEDIATION

Some of the most painful disputes we experience are those involving our families. Mediation promotes communication and cooperation and enhances long-term relationships, which is especially important when children are involved. We have been instrumental in developing non adversarial resolution processes for family disputes and have successfully mediated hundreds of these disputes including:

  • Helping separating and divorcing couples to work collaboratively and to stay in control of their decision-making
  • Working with married couples who choose to mediate some of their differences in order to improve their marriages
  • Facilitating dialogue among family members who hold different views about caring for aging parents or other relatives and the financial issues connected with those decisions
  • Mediating disputes among heirs and beneficiaries following the death of loved ones
  • Helping resolve parent/child conflicts and establishing agreements about how to live together