By William A. Ratliff Executive turnover is costly. Signing bonuses, search fees, severance packages, and much more bring estimates of the turnover cost of a “C-suite” employee to $1.5 million. Consulting firms estimate the cost at 1.5 to 3 times annual salary, or more. Yet executives don’t always mesh well. Personality clashes, disagreements on corporate …
Resolving conflict with employees can often be a difficult experience, so much so that many managers wish they had an employee conflict resolution template. Workplace conflict is a common and unavoidable part of adult life, but living with it for years does not have to be. Workplaces are starting to recognize the adverse effects that …
By Illece Buckley Weber As a civil litigator who has been involved in over 300 mediations, VSCs and MSCs, on three occasions, I was thrown for a loop when my clients suddenly changed their minds on continuing down the litigation path contrary to my recommendation. The following cases taught me some good lessons. Mediation #1: …
Navigating a divorce can be intimidating, especially if the couple is hoping to get divorced without court. When you remove the oversight of a court case from a divorce, it can feel overwhelming to determine how and when things will be completed. Some many considerations and decisions need to be made by two people that …
The necessity for mediating wrongful death cases comes when we least expect. A late-night phone call jerks you awake. Who could it be at this hour? Filled with a nameless dread, you answer. Good news could have waited until morning. As the caller speaks, you have a sense that everything normal has been ripped away. …
We humans are social, but also individual. We often need help to succeed or excel. For example, early man was a poor match for a mastodon or prehistoric bison. He could hunt or gather smaller, less nutritious food alone. But he needed to hunt in a group if he were to take such dangerous high …
Bob had been Fred’s client for a long time. Normally, he was low-key and easy-going. Not today. He was angry and it showed. His wife Keiko sat teary-eyed and sniffling next to him. ‘Fred, I want you to make George Stevens’ life a misery, do you hear me?” “I hear you, Bob. But I don’t …
If you are getting divorced, you probably have a lot of questions about the process and the available options for divorce, including, “Dow does divorce mediation work?” Divorce mediation is one of the many alternatives available to people who are getting divorced that helps keep the arguments and divorce out of the court system. It …
By Scott Van Soye Negotiating price (or a settlement amount) can be a long and frustrating process. Think about the last time you bought a car. Exhausting, wasn’t it? And yet research has shown that the outcome is often predictable. Professor Peter Robinson of Pepperdine University reports that such negotiations usually end with an agreement …
By Mai Nguyen The American Bar Association (ABA) conducts extensive survey on legal malpractice claims every four years. The survey concludes that every practicing lawyer is potentially at risk for legal malpractice. It was once believed that solo practitioners were at the highest risk, however, research has found that lawyers at small, medium, and large …