It is my pleasure to recommend Richard Strauss as a mediator, particularly in the area of nursing home negligence and medical malpractice. You will find that Richard's credentials make him uniquely qualified as a mediator in these areas. As a practicing lawyer that has an active defense practice of nursing home negligence cases, I found Richard to be fair and effective as a mediator. Richard objectively analyzes issues and identifies the strengths, weaknesses and risks to both parties. Richard's working knowledge of the health care industry helps the parties reach an amicable resolution of their case. I look forward to working with Richard on future cases.
I recently had the pleasure of working with Richard Strauss in connection with the successful mediation of.....That case was very complicated and the parties on their own had made no progress toward resolution in the two years the case had been pending. Mr. Strauss was able to objectively analyze the issues, identify the risks to all parties and lead them to resolution of the dispute.
As defense counsel for various long term and acute care facilities, I believe the key to alternative dispute resolution is a well prepared mediator who understands issues specific to healthcare. Richard Strauss is uniquely qualified in that regard and we intend to utilize his services in the future.
I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated Richard Strauss' efforts at a recent mediation in which I was involved... The parties were extremely far apart, and Richard did an excellent job in getting three of the four parties close to settlement. His job was made tougher by the fact that one of the defendants came to the mediation with essentially no settlement authority and no desire to try to settle the case. This did not stop him from going forward with those of us who were interested in trying to resolve the matter.
I would not hesitate to use him again should the need arise. It is nice to have someone from out of town that I can trust to come in and do a good job.
I was recently in the unusual position of mediating two complex nursing home cases in one day. Due to a number of factors surrounding these cases, the plaintiffs agreed to mediate both cases, one after the other. This provided for a marathon day of negotiating. Richard's expertise in the nursing home field and ability to grasp and relate to the plaintiffs the "realities" of litigating a nursing home case made him a natural choice. As the day progressed both sides seemed to be physically and mentally tiring, however, Richard kept up his energy and dogged persistence throughout both mediations. At the end of the day (actually evening) both cases were settled.
I was most impressed by Richard's abilities as a mediator and would highly recommend him to others.
I am a defense attorney practicing primarily in the areas of nursing home and medical malpractice defense. Richard M. Strauss has served as a mediator in approximately ten of my cases and I have been very pleased with his work. Mr. Strauss is extremely prepared and works hard to bring both sides together towards the successful resolution of the case. I have found him quite capable of objectively analyzing issues, identifying risks to both sides and conveying same in a tactful manner that has led to successful resolution in many of the cases that he has mediated for me. I certainly plan to use Mr. Strauss as mediator in future cases, as well.
I would like to take this opportunity to compliment you on the experience and expertise you have provided through acting as a mediator on three separate cases in which I have represented one of the parties. Due to the fact that the majority of my practice involves medical malpractice cases or lawsuits against long-term care providers, I have been very grateful, as well as impressed, with the knowledge and expertise you bring to the table. Without discounting your extensive experience in claims handling, your experience as a consultant and risk manager for medical facilities including hospitals and acute care facilities has given you an edge in situations where the ability to understand and discuss complex medical issues was an absolute necessity. In addition, I was also impressed with your use of innovative mediation tactics in situations where I was fully convinced that the parties were at an impasse.
I have enjoyed working with you both as a person, and as a professional, and I look forward to working with you in the future. Please feel free to share my comments with others who may be considering using your services as I would highly recommend you to anyone, but especially to those who are seeking to
mediate cases in the medical field.A client recently recommended that we use Richard Strauss for an upcoming mediation. I have now had the opportunity to mediate two cases with him. One case involved an emotionally-charged wrongful death claim with significant issues of fault. The other was a product liability case involving a traumatic amputation.
In both cases, I found Richard's background as a former risk manager and attorney, and his experience in having mediated in excess of 1,000 cases, to be extremely valuable. Obviously, I was not privy to the conversations in plaintiff's caucuses, but in the defense room, Richard was able to identify with the insurance adjusters attending the mediations with me given his background. He clearly and succinctly laid out the strengths and weaknesses of the cases and helped us work through the negotiation and ultimate settlement in both matters.
It was evident that Richard had invested a lot of time prior to the mediation in becoming conversant in the facts and applicable law, all as part of his flat rate fee. In one case, he actually contacted me to see if I could submit my position paper early (earlier than 1 week) because he was traveling. My suspicion is that many mediators review the papers on the morning of the mediation. Richard was very much "up to speed" and knew the facts and law as well as the lawyers.
I found Richard's comments in the opening session to be very helpful at establishing consensus, whereas in my experience, many mediations start off on the wrong foot with an opening session which only serves to polarize the parties even further.
I was a bit reluctant to use Richard because he lives in Georgia and my cases were pending in Mississippi. However, Richard's preparation and his vast experience superceded any perceived unfamiliarity with this jurisdiction. As noted, both cases settled.
I would certainly recommend Richard for further mediations in the future.
...We recently resolved two nursing home cases which, frankly, I did not believe would settle... Richard's extensive knowledge of both the medical and nursing home industries avoided wasted time and effort in getting an unspecialized mediator educated in those fields before talking objectively about the relative merits of both sides of the case. At the end, Richard's insight and experience made all the difference in settling these two difficult cases. Finally, Richard's all inclusive price was very refreshing and makes it possible to "compare apples to apples" in evaluating his services versus local mediators. The bottom line is in the next nursing home or medical malpractice case I have going to mediation, I will most definitely use Richard.