Recently, I used the services of Richard M. Strauss of MediateOne, Inc. to resolve a personal injury claim I was defending. Richard was thoroughly prepared for the mediation and was well acquainted with the facts of the case. He was able to objectively analyze issues and identify the risks to both parties. His thorough preparation and analysis led to a successful resolution of this dispute.
I was pleased with Richard's services and would certainly be willing to use him as a mediator in any future cases.
I had the pleasure of working with Richard M. Strauss in a mediation in a very difficult case. There had been much rancor between the Plaintiffs and the Defendants prior to the mediation... I was fully expecting an unpleasant experience. However, Richard appeared in a professional manner and was able to get both sides to realize the importance of the mediation process. In turn, he created an atmosphere of fairness and impartiality. I was extremely pleased with his diligent work during the process of the mediation.
…Mr. Strauss served as the mediator in a medical malpractice action I defended which included complex medical issues, subtle questions of valuation, as well as a disagreement among the defendants regarding their respective contributions to a global settlement. I was quite pleased with Mr. Strauss' efforts in working with.… The Virginia Insurance Reciprocal, as well as with our co-defendant's carrier, MAG Mutual Insurance Company, in resolving preliminary issues of valuation and ultimately, in helping all parties arrive at a reasonable global settlement.
I was impressed with Mr. Strauss' efforts at preparation prior to the mediation, including his willingness to review the deposition testimony of the plaintiffs' neurosurgical expert from Johns Hopkins whom I had deposed at some length. Mr. Strauss took time to analyze the medical issues in a thoughtful manner and to identify the risks to all parties involved in the mediation.… Mr. Strauss' objectivity, taken together with his unique background in medical malpractice, makes him a natural choice for mediator in healthcare disputes.
Richard Strauss was the mediator in a very complex medical malpractice case which resulted in a settlement…at 10:30 p.m. This was a very difficult case to resolve. Indeed, in plaintiff's opening statement, the attorney surprised us all by doubling the pre-mediation demand and asserting, for the first time, a claim for punitive damages. When I heard that, I felt sure that this case was not going to settle.
Negotiations occasionally stalled during the day but Richard was able to get them started again by forceful and persuasive consultations, both with the plaintiffs and the defendant. Richard was in a position to do so because he had carefully studied voluminous materials provided in lengthy confidential pre-mediation submissions by both plaintiffs' attorney and me. I was especially impressed by his command of the difficult and unusual issues based upon his thorough review of these pre-mediation materials.… The ultimate resolution was a fair amount both to the plaintiffs and to the defendant. That would not have occurred if Richard had not been a firm but impartial mediator.
I had the opportunity last week to mediate my first case on behalf of a corporate defendant in front of Mr. Strauss. He was recommended by the Plaintiff's attorney and I had agreed with some trepidation. I am happy to report that my trepidation was unwarranted as Mr. Strauss was, by all accounts, a fair and impartial mediator for our case which involved serious personal injuries arising out of an incident that occurred on my client's premises. Mr. Strauss had analyzed the medical issues prior to the mediation and had a good overall grasp of the case. He was able to work with the Plaintiff's attorneys to bring some degree of 'sense' to the Plaintiff thus enabling us to settle the case. Mr. Strauss was also well equipped to enlighten my company representative as to the potential risks involved in the case. I have no hesitancy in recommending Mr. Strauss as a mediator in all types of personal injury cases.
Please feel free to contact me should you desire more information.
Working under very tight time constraints, he mediated a settlement with which I believe both sides were quite pleased. His energy and creativity in 'fast-tracking' the mediation made all the difference.
I am writing to thank you for your outstanding work in the... matter. As you are well aware, this was a very difficult nursing home case mediated after the insolvency of the primary insurance carrier. You did a fantastic job pushing the parties toward resolution. You also did a fantastic job identifying the most critical issues and pushing for a resolution.
I look forward to mediating cases with you in the future. I would be happy to discuss the numerous mediations we have done together with any potential clients of yours. Please feel free to have them call me if they have any questions about your abilities.
The case in question was quite delicate and emotions on all sides ran high. While the case did not settle at the first mediation, Mr. Strauss contacted both parties in an effort to bring them to the table a second time, which did result in a settlement of the case. Our case was not an easy one and required careful analysis and consideration of the issues as well as a good bit of persuasion.
My practice is exclusively in the defense of serious injury claims and I have mediated cases across the country. Through my practice, I have worked with a wide range of mediators: some good, some bad and some downright awful. Rarely do I work with a mediator who I find to be exceptional at his craft. Richard Strauss is such a mediator and I unreservedly recommend him.
Within the past six months, I have worked with Richard on two very difficult cases. One involved allegations of sexual misconduct and boundary violations in an outpatient rehabilitation program and the other involved the death of a teenager at a residential treatment facility. Both cases presented challenges ranging from complex legal issues to emotionally-charged litigants.
Richard was able to work through the issues and focus the parties on the challenges we both faced at a trial. In spite of the legal issues and emotions involved, Richard was able to keep us engaged in the process, and ultimately, to achieve settlements.
Through his background in healthcare, Richard was able to understand the issues involved and the 'business side' from a defense perspective. At the beginning of the mediation, he put everyone at ease and he came prepared to discuss issues immediately. His preparation is some of the best that I have seen. He offered creative approaches to break impasses and ultimately foster an environment that enabled us to settle the cases.
If you have any questions about Richard's capabilities or using him as your mediator, please contact me.
We have had the opportunity to work with Richard Strauss on a number of cases. We have chosen him to mediate both nursing home cases and complex medical malpractice cases.
Richard's background and experience in the long-term care arena are unique and give him a perspective most mediators don't have. His evaluation of the cases we have mediated with him have been realistic and we have been able to settle every case that we have mediated with him.
Needless to say, we intend to utilize Richard's services as a mediator in the future and recommend him to colleagues who are involved in mediating long-term care and traditional medical malpractice claims.
He is a strong, impartial mediator who can get the job done.
This letter is to tell you how pleased I and The Medical Protective Company were with the performance of Mr. Richard Strauss in our recent mediation... At the mediation, I was pleased to learn of his extensive background in medical malpractice and personal injury matters. He has a considerable number of years experience in this complicated arena, and demonstrates a thorough understanding and recognition of the issues associated with these matters. I further found that he couples this knowledge with a very pleasing but professional demeanor which facilitates the negotiations between the parties.… Please feel free to disclose our endorsement of Mr. Strauss as a neutral mediator in such matters.
Thank you very much for presiding over the mediation of this very complex, multi-party case on March 31, 2005. Your efforts were instrumental in moving the plaintiff off its deeply entrenched position on attorney's fees, and in assuring that all the defendants stayed fully engaged in the process.
Please feel free to use this letter as a reference for future mediations.
The case in question was very emotional, and Mr. Strauss handled his responsibilities as a mediator in the case quite well. Unlike many mediators, Mr. Strauss requested a written summation of the key issues in the case prior to the mediation, which made him quite knowledgeable of the case and better prepared than most mediators to 'jump right into things' and get to the point. Our case settled, with Mr. Strauss' help, and both sides were quite pleased. His energy and experience in the mediation made all the difference.
…I was exceedingly pleased with Mr. Strauss' handling of this mediation. His style was very pleasant and professional.… I felt he could credibly suggest reasonable settlement parameters for both sides due to his background in the area. Certainly, my insurance representative and the physician present were very impressed with his knowledge of claim evaluation and likely jury result. Needless to say, we were able to successfully conclude a difficult mediation involving multiple defendants in a brain damaged child due mainly to Mr. Strauss' skillful efforts.
I have already recommended Mr. Strauss to several other insurance carriers and plaintiff's attorneys. I wholeheartedly endorse his qualifications and ability as a highly skilled mediator in complex medical malpractice/health care litigation.
I want to thank you for your excellent work in mediating the.… personal injury lawsuit.… I thought you did an excellent job establishing your credibility with both the Plaintiff and my insurance company claim representative. You were also well versed with the critical facts and legal issues involved and you had a keen perspective into the difficult medical issues involving the Plaintiff's voluminous pre and post-accident medical history. You were able to efficiently and economically settle the case which I was not real optimistic could be accomplished when we started. I look forward to working with you again in the future, whether I am representing a plaintiff or a defendant. Thanks again.
I write to recommend Richard M. Strauss as a mediator. I recently used him in a medical malpractice case with a difficult plaintiff and high demand. Richard did an excellent job of managing the plaintiff's expectations and ultimately accomplishing a reasonable settlement. Richard has excellent knowledge of the medical issues, and in my opinion, objectively analyzed the issues, identified the risks to both parties and helped toward a settlement. I would definitely recommend him as a mediator in future cases.
Furthermore, his fees are very reasonable compared to those of other mediators in the Atlanta area.
Again, I want to express my appreciation for your hard work which directly impacted the parties' ability to agree to a settlement in.… Be assured that I will make others who are contemplating mediation aware of your background and my very favorable opinion of the work which you did.…
We recently mediated a very difficult and complicated wrongful death case.… The purpose of this letter is to commend… Richard… as well as to recommend him to others his use as a mediator for complex medical malpractice and personal injury litigation… as skeptical going in that the difficult case with which he assisted would be settled in a reasonable manner. These skills allowed us to do so.
I have been a practicing attorney for almost 26 years. During that period of time, I have acted as a mediator and arbitrator in a number of cases. I have also had the occasion to utilize the services of mediators as counsel for plaintiffs and defendants.
In the past few years, I have been involved in nursing home litigation cases as defense counsel. During that time, I have called upon Richard Strauss to act as mediator on several matters.
Richard is very familiar with the attorneys, claim representatives, and the corporate personnel of my client. He has been involved in the mediation of a number of their cases throughout the United States. He is very competent because of his background. He has been employed with a major nursing home chain and has handled claims directly for the nursing home. He has also handled claims for nursing homes on a third-party basis. He is uniquely trained to objectively analyze the issues, identify the risks to both parties and lead them to a resolution of the case.
I would without reservation recommend Richard as a mediator to any attorney or party interested in resolving their case. In my opinion, he is one of the best mediators I have ever used.
It is my pleasure to recommend Richard M. Strauss as a mediator in nursing home, medical malpractice and serious personal injury litigation. Mr. Strauss recently served as a mediator in a nursing home malpractice/wrongful death case which I was defending for one of my clients and he was able to bring the parties together at the end of a long day with a settlement which was acceptable to all.
I have litigated cases in state and federal courts for over 25 years and I have also been certified and served as a mediator since 1992. I can say without hesitation that Mr. Strauss was as prepared and as capable of helping parties through dificult, complex legal and medical issues to a negotiated settlement as any mediator I have ever encountered. Not only would I be willing to use him again in the future as a mediator, but I have actually recommended his name to several of my clients for consideration in complex cases, especially nursing home and medical malpractice matters.
I recently had the opportunity to meet Richard Strauss when he mediated a nursing home case for me. While the case was not difficult, the Plaintiff was. I found Mr. Strauss to be thoroughly prepared for the mediation. His preparation allowed him to manage the parties' expectations in order to come to an outcome that was acceptable to all involved.
Both my clients and I were pleased to learn that Mr. Strauss charges a flat fee no matter the location of the mediation. In light of the way that Mr. Strauss handled this mediation and the flat fee agreement, I believe Mr. Strauss is an asset to any mediation.
In short, I do not hesitate to recommend him. In fact, I have already discussed another mediation that I would like for him to handle.