When mediation experience counts…
(and it should.)

Denise Madigan has one of the most unique mediation practices you’ll ever see. With over twenty years’ experience as a full-time professional mediator, she has handled a truly vast number and array of cases, demonstrating an ability to jump into disputes which can include from one moment to the next, internal workplace disputes, wrongful death cases, complex financial disputes, scientific and technical debates, or multiparty conflicts involving complex layers of power and incentives on each side.Denise does not fit into a neat category of mediator. Rather, she approaches each mediation as if it were unique, and directs her assistance to where she thinks a dispute most needs it.

She begins by assessing the likely barriers to resolution. Are there unusual emotional issues or behaviors that need to be addressed? Are there gaps in information that are causing parties to react (understandably) defensively? Do the lawyers or their clients differ as to critical facts or law? Do the experts’ models and theories clash so significantly that the parties are unlikely ever to agree about what could happen at trial?

Once she has an initial sense of what the barriers are, she then designs her mediator “interventions” appropriately. This may include helping the parties conduct carefully structured dialogues. Or providing evaluative feedback to one or more sides about the strength and weaknesses of their case. Or it may simply require listening quietly and patiently to individuals as they describe their loss and their fears about the future.

At the end of the day, Denise is focused on helping the parties finally resolve their conflict, so they can move on with their personal and professional lives.