Your Family vs. The Courtroom: Choosing the Right Path for Your Business When a conflict over your family business’s future arises, you face a critical choice: how will you resolve it? This often involves choosing between mediation and litigation, leading to the classic debate of mediation vs litigation, two distinct approaches with profound consequences for your finances, your well-being, and …
How Does Family Business Mediation Work? A Step-by-Step Guide
Demystifying the Mediation Process: A Path to Peaceful Transition The decision to use mediation for your family business dispute is a smart one. But we understand that the unknown can be intimidating. You might be wondering, how does family business mediation work? What actually happens in a mediation session? How do you go from conflict to a signed agreement? At …
5 Common Family Business Succession Plan Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
Creating a family business succession plan is complex, blending financial, legal, and deeply personal family dynamics. Even with the best intentions, many families fall into predictable traps that can derail the transition and cause lasting conflict. Recognizing these pitfalls is the first step toward avoiding them. At Alternative Law Mediation, we’ve seen how these challenges can impact a family. Here are five …
Can Mediation Help When Siblings Disagree About the Family Business?
Why do siblings clash in business? Family businesses often mix the past, competition, control, personal history with the future and professional decisions. That’s a recipe for conflict. You may have different work styles, expectations, or opinions on how the business should run—or who should run it. Common sibling conflicts include: How does mediation help resolve these disputes? Does it actually …
When Should You Bring in a Mediator for a Business Dispute?
Is your business conflict getting worse, not better? Disagreements happen—but if they keep escalating or affect operations, it may be time to get outside help. Waiting too long can make the problem harder (and more expensive) to fix. Top signs you should consider mediation: Why early mediation works better: What’s the alternative? Letting it drag on leads to legal bills, …
What Happens During a Mediation Session?
Mediator guiding a business family through a structured discussion
Why Choose Mediation for Family Business Disputes?
What is mediation in a family business conflict? Mediation is a confidential, guided process that helps family members resolve disputes without going to court. A trained neutral mediator facilitates the conversation, allowing each person to speak openly, be heard, and contribute to crafting a mutually acceptable solution. It’s less about who’s right and more about finding a path forward everyone …
Family Business Exit Strategy
Family businesses are built with dedication, vision, and years of hard work. However, without a well-planned exit strategy, all that effort can be put at risk. Whether an owner is retiring, transitioning leadership to the next generation, or selling the business, a structured exit strategy ensures continuity, protects family relationships, and preserves the company’s legacy. Here’s how to approach a …
How to Choose a Family Business Mediation Firm
Choosing a family business mediation firm is a very important decision. It has a critical impact on the way you and your family solve your problems both now, and in the future. The right firm will help you move forward with your decision making, succession planning, family, and business. Alternative Law’s Mediation saves you time and money and will cost …
What is the Divorce Mediation Process
Divorce mediation is one of the most specific areas of conflict resolution, because it involves making serious permanent changes and adjustments in one of the principal elements of our life. It requires male and female mediation specialists. Our divorce mediators have been specifically educated in divorce procedures, difficult conflicts, divorce laws, and the multiple issues that affect people on a …