Alan Petlak, the mediator that gets results.

Alan S. Petlak

Exclusively with Judicate West

https://www.judicatewest.com/adr/alan-petlak

Alan, a mediator on Judicate West's exclusive mediation roster, provides creative solutions to the most complicated business disputes. He uses both a facilitative and evaluative approach to narrow the issues and focus the parties on settlement.

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Mediation – Running Out of Authority Does Not Prevent Settlement

I recently mediated a case that was making steady progress—though the parties remained far apart, each move brought them closer. Three hours in, the defendant claimed it was running out of authority and suggested pausing until more could be secured. I pushed back, arguing that it made no sense to seek more authority without precisely knowing how much more authority was necessary to settle the case. Instead, I steered the discussion toward a mediator’s proposal, which I only make when I believe the proposal will and should be accepted by all parties. Read More

Mediation – Know When to Show ‘em: The Art of Timing

Whether a case settles at mediation is often about timing. A case will never settle if a party never elects to show his or her hand. It is also the case that revealing a “drop dead” number too soon may frustrate efforts to settle. Read More

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Alan did a great job of bringing the parties together to settle a matter that I did not believe would settle.

Alan understood the legal issues from the get-go which allowed the parties to focus on resolving the matter instead of educating the mediator.

Alan put my client at ease and his calm demeanor and patience were instrumental in bringing about the settlement.

Alan brought up issues that I had not even focused upon which helped bring the parties together.

Alan, thank you for resolving this case. My client and I were both overjoyed with the result!

Alan blends legal insight with a practical business approach which my business clients appreciate.

I would definitely use Alan again particularly for my most difficult mediations.