Owners and partners
Two people built it. Two people can settle how it goes on.
A dispute between owners is often the end of a friendship and the start of a legal bill. Mediation is a cheaper room to find out whether the business can carry on, be sold, or be split.
I don't tell you what the business is worth and I'm not either owner's lawyer. I keep the conversation on the questions you have to answer, and I write up what you agree so each of your lawyers can turn it into contracts.
The questions owners work through
Owners usually arrive with one question and leave having answered four.
- 01
Who is staying
One of you buys, one of you leaves, or neither. We map out each option and what it would ask of you.
- 02
What it is worth
You bring numbers from an accountant or an appraiser. I help you agree which ones count, without picking a winner.
- 03
Roles and pay
Who does the work, who is paid for it, and what happens when one of you wants a different job.
- 04
The practical bits
The lease, the customers, the employees, and what you say to each of them on the day it changes.
What mediation does not replace
A mediated agreement is a plan, not a contract. Your lawyers, and an accountant if there is money involved, turn it into buyout papers, an amended operating agreement or a lease assignment.
If an owner has taken money that wasn't theirs, or one side wants a court to decide, mediation may not be the right step. I will say so in the first call.
What owners ask before mediating
Do we each need a lawyer?
It is wise to have one read the terms, and I will ask that you do before signing anything. I can't advise either of you myself.
Can family members who work in the business join?
Yes, when they have a stake in the outcome. We decide together at the start who will be at the table.
How long does it take?
Most matters take one to four sessions of about two hours, with the timing set by how quickly each of you can gather your numbers.
Talk through your situation
Twenty minutes on the phone, free, to see whether mediation fits.