SYRACUSE — ADR-Chiefs, an alternate dispute-resolution services firm that recently opened in Syracuse, is banking on the growing trend of using mediation to solve legal disputes. “Mediation in other parts of the United States is very popular and very much in vogue, especially out West,” ADR-Chiefs Partner Gustave J. DiBianco says. “We’re hoping that someday […]
SYRACUSE — ADR-Chiefs, an alternate dispute-resolution services firm that recently opened in Syracuse, is banking on the growing trend of using mediation to solve legal disputes.
“Mediation in other parts of the United States is very popular and very much in vogue, especially out West,” ADR-Chiefs Partner Gustave J. DiBianco says. “We’re hoping that someday mediation will be a big part of the legal scene here.”
The firm, which opened in August at the University Building on 120 E. Washington St., is currently sharing office space with Robert G. Wells, an attorney.
ADR-Chiefs specializes in arbitration and mediation cases regarding contract disputes, matrimonial disagreements, personal-injury claims, and other matters, ADR-Chiefs Partner William H. Pease says.
The firm’s partners, and its only two employees, bring a lot of experience in these areas.
“We’re a brand new organization,” Pease says. “I’m a retired Assistant U.S. Attorney and my partner, [DiBianco], is a retired [Chief] U.S. Magistrate Judge” in the Northern District of New York.
Pease says mediation, which involves a third party helping both parties in a dispute come to an agreement, is a newer type of dispute resolution, especially in Central New York.
ADR-Chiefs is just getting started with such cases and the partners are not sure where it’ll all lead yet.
“We have one case coming up shortly and who knows when we’ll get the next one. We’re both retired, so we’re not looking to make a bundle,” Pease says.
ADR-Chiefs’ current target market is lawyers from the area, but it is also seeking area businesses and insurance companies as clients, he says.
“Often times there are contract disputes, and it may be that the parties would agree to participate in mediation before one of them hires a lawyer and sues the other,” Pease says.
Partner backgrounds
Pease has been a licensed attorney in the state of New York since 1973. He worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of New York for 27 years, according to the ADR-Chiefs website. Pease also worked in private practice for 10 years.
DiBianco was the Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge in the state’s Northern District for nine years and served for 22 years as a judge. He has personally conducted more than 150 mediation-type settlement conferences where “the litigants fashioned a mutually acceptable settlement ending the federal litigation,” according to the website.
Services
ADR-Chiefs provides mediation, arbitration, and early neutrality evaluation (ENE) services, according to its website.
Arbitration is historically the most commonly used and well-known form of alternate-dispute resolution, according to ADR-Chiefs. Arbitrators utilize some of the steps in traditional litigation, including discovery, motion practice, legal arguments, and testimony. After that, they issue a written decision, the firm says.
Mediation has become increasingly popular, and in some jurisdictions, the courts require it, according to ADR-Chiefs. The firm says on its website that mediation “is by far the most flexible and adaptable device which works in many different situations to assist with unique or complex resolutions.” Among the advantages of mediation, include confidentiality, large cost savings when compared to litigation, and expediency, the firm contends.
ENE brings all parties together early in the pre-trial phase to summarize their cases and receive a non-binding assessment by an experienced neutral attorney with subject-matter expertise, according to ADR-Chiefs.
ADR-Chiefs charges $200 per hour for a file review, $300 an hour during mediation proceedings, and a flat rate of $1,000 for a half-day session, for a single mediator, according to the firm’s website. The firm also charges $300 per hour for a file review, $450 an hour during mediation proceedings, and $1,200 for three hours with two mediators.
The firm requires a $1,200 retainer for a single mediator and a $1,500 retainer for a dual mediator, according to the website.
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