I appreciate your hard work and the expertise which you brought to the mediation. While my practice does not generally involve nursing home litigation, to the extent that I am ever involved in this type of matter again, I will recommend that the parties use your services. Once again, thank you for your assistance in helping the parties reach a resolution in this matter.
I wanted to write this correspondence on behalf of Richard M. Strauss, Esq. Mr. Strauss has done, and continues to do, an excellent job serving as a Mediator in those cases that our law firm has been defense counsel on.
Mr. Strauss, among other things, brings a tremendous amount of experience in the long-term care and medical malpractice arenas. I find, of particular benefit, Mr. Strauss' preparation, in advance of the Mediation, to be a key ingredient to success at Mediation. Mr. Strauss is always well prepared and is able to identify the key issues and focus, promptly, upon those issues at the commencement of Mediation.
Mr. Strauss is an inquisitive Mediator who asks well defined and astute questions during the course of Mediation. He is not merely a "messenger". He is a proactive Mediator. His proactivity reflects itself, in addition to asking questions, to providing options and suggestions during the course of the Mediation.
I have also been impressed with Mr. Strauss' ability to mediate in different jurisdictions. I have mediated with Mr. Strauss in Florida and in Texas and he was highly effective in both venues with a firm understanding of the applicable laws and the sensitivities of the venues in question.
Lastly, and certainly not to be overlooked, at least in my opinion, in the context of a Mediation, is Mr. Strauss' demeanor and professionalism. He very capably sets the stage for collegiality and helps to create a conciliatory environment which often times proves to be helpful in resolving cases.
In sum, I have found Mr. Strauss to be a highly effective Mediator in very significant cases involving both complex legal and factual issues.
I write to commend and recommend Richard M. Strauss as a mediator. Mr. Strauss successfully mediated a problematic long-term care case for our Firm. It became obvious in the mediation process that Mr. Strauss brought unique skills to bear in light of his experience with long-term care cases as well as medical malpractice and other tort cases. Mr. Strauss' knowledge in the field enabled the parties to sort through and reckon with the medical and documentary issues contained in the case.
I particularly recommend Mr. Strauss' approach to mediation in which he prepares extensively and takes on the role of advocate for both sides in the joint session. Mr. Strauss' strategy of removing some of the adversarial process and its potentially galvanizing effect worked very well in our experience.
Mr. Strauss was also very helpful during the "witching" hour of the mediation by suggesting different approaches to the process. Mr. Strauss has no "quit" in him and his creative energy does not flag.
If you want your case settled, I recommend Richard Strauss.
While Mr. Strauss's services were recommended to me by the adjuster on the claim, Mr. Strauss proved to be an effective mediator for both the plaintiff and defense.… The parties entered mediation with extremely different values on the case. Through a great deal of patience, perseverance and persuasiveness, Mr. Strauss was able to resolve the matter.… In fact, the parties had undergone prior mediation of this claim and quickly reached impasse. I will continue, whenever possible, to use the services of Richard M. Strauss as a mediator and would highly recommend him to those attorneys and adjusters with whom I am associated.
I wanted to send you a letter regarding the recent experiences I have had using Richard M. Strauss, Esq. as a mediator in some very high profile nursing home cases that I have defended.… This is an unusual situation in that there are usually defense oriented mediators or plaintiff oriented mediators but very few that seem to be able to reach the equilibrium where both sides feel that they are getting the most from the mediator in representing their clients. I found that Richard is able to draw upon his wealth of experience and his varied background and ability to stay the course and keep the personalities and tempers in check and has brought the resolution of two very difficult cases.