It was a pleasure meeting and working with you yesterday. I like your approach and would definitely recommend you to plaintiff attorneys. Great job yesterday and I look forward to working with you again.
Richard Strauss recently mediated a particularly difficult nursing home case in which I represented a long term care company with facilities nationwide. The case involved poor care and neglect claims by a large and extremely interested family from eastern Kentucky, most of whom attended the mediation. Though this was the first time we had hired Richard for this case, it was the third attempt at mediation, the previous two not having come within $900,000 toward resolution.Richard immediately sized up the plaintiff, a surviving daughter of my client's resident, and her family and made suggestions to both sides about significantly curtailing what should be said in opening statements and how long each side should spend. Instead, Richard dedicated a considerable portion of this session to the discussion of the statistics and realities of nursing home litigation and the numerous reasons why settlement, though often painful, is the best solution for all involved. Though I had reviewed Richard's resume and some of his articles before the mediation, it was apparent then and throughout the mediation that he had a grasp of the issues involved and how they ultimately would be perceived by a jury. This gave him credibility in the eyes of all attorneys and parties involved. When we separated into caucuses and began the true work of the mediation, Richard quickly developed a strategy to which he adhered with ultimate success. Parties separated the afternoon of the mediation, five hours into the effort, with a final offer on the table which was accepted the next day by the family. This was my first experience in mediation with Richard, but I will keep him at the top of my list for future mediations, particularly those involving difficult long term care issues or particularly thorny relationships between parties where settlement positions are seemingly too far apart to be breached. Above all, Richard was courteous, professional, and pleasant to all involved and created a climate of conciliation and optimism which, from my experience, is rare in these often bitter disputes. I highly recommend Richard without hesitation. If you have any questions or wish to discuss my experience with Richard and my recommendation, please feel free to contact me.
It was certainly a pleasure to meet with you and work with you at the mediation on March 24, 2015. We certainly thank you for your efforts which resulted in a resolution of this claim. You were very beneficial in resulting in the resolution of this matter.
I hope I have the opportunity to work with you again in the future.