Mediation
“An ounce of mediation is worth a pound of arbitration and a ton of litigation.”
– Joseph Grynbaum
Lisa Brown
Mediator
Lisa Brown Attorney, LLC
Dispute Resolution
lisa@lisabrownattorney.com
(503) 887-2436
Lisa has a broad range of mediation experience, with a focus on employment issues, commercial litigation, fee disputes, professional liability, health care, business conflicts, and contract claims.
As a litigator for decades, Lisa has modeled her mediation style after the mediators who served as her mentors and resolved her most difficult cases. Lisa generally asks for a short (less than five page) statement from each party in advance of the mediation, identifying: 1) the legal claims and defenses, 2) prior settlement discussions, 3) the risks each party faces if they proceed to trial, and 4) two or more settlement options (including nonmonetary options) that each party believes would resolve the case.
Lisa prefers not to conduct an initial joint meeting unless the parties request one. The mediation process involves meetings with each of the parties, allowing each party to be fully heard and identifying areas of commonality. In the event the matter is not resolved on the day of the mediation, Lisa remains available to continue working with the parties to achieve a mutually acceptable resolution up to and through trial.
Lisa takes great pleasure in discovering creative settlement options and delights in resolving cases that no one thought could ever settle.
Facilitations
Lisa enjoys working with employers to facilitate internal employment disputes before they escalate into litigation. Relying on her extensive experience litigating ADA claims, Lisa uses her knowledge to facilitate the ADA interactive process between employers and employees as well as discussions between students, parents and teachers who are involved in creating and implementing an IEP and/or 504 plan.
“If anyone is not willing to accept your point of view, try to see his point of view.”
“During a negotiation, it would be wise not to take anything personally. If you leave personalities out of it, you will be able to see opportunities more objectively.”
– Brian Koslow
“We do not have to agree; we do need to understand.”
– Anonymous
“A small benefit obtained is better than a great one in expectation.”
– Irish proverb
“Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional.”
– Max Lucade
“Information is a negotiator’s greatest weapon.“
– Victor Kiam
“Compromise. Such an adjustment of conflicting interests as gives each adversary the satisfaction of thinking he has got what he ought not to have, and is deprived of nothing except what was justly his due.”
– Ambrose Bierce
“Do not find fault, find a remedy.”
– Henry Ford
“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?”
– Henry David Thoreau
“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to communications with others.”
– Anthony Robbins
“Prepare by knowing your walk away [conditions] and by building the number of variables you can work with during the negotiation… you need to have a walk away…a combination of price, terms, and deliverables that represents the least you will accept. Without one, you will have no negotiating roadmap.”
– Keiser
“A good deal is a state of mind.”
– Lee Iococca
