Mark Joseph Sarni

Practice Description Mediated matters included real estate and business contract disputes, landlord tenant disputes, wage claims, personal injury matters, including car accidents, involving individuals and small businesses. Amounts in dispute ranged from the low end of $5,000 to a high of $500,000. In the pre-litigation, non-litigation setting, have handled multiple special education disputes between parents with special education needs children and school districts as well as family disputes involving divorce and child custody matters. As an advocate, have handled scores of mediations and arbitrations involving real estate, business, insurance and injury related disputes ranging in value from $100,000 to 1,500,000. Mediated cases involving business partnership disputes, brokerage misrepresentation and landlord-tenant dispute matters, issues related to real estate title and valuation, personal injury claims arising from car accidents and slip and fall matters, debtor/creditor disputes including credit card matters, student loans and business-to-business claims, special education needs disputes between parents and school districts, and attorney fee disputes between attorneys and their former clients. The mediator subscribes to a blended mediation approach that utilizes both facilitative and evaluative methods as necessary and appropriate. On occasion, principles identified in the transformative mediation approach are also used when there is, or must be, an ongoing relationship between the parties. At mediation, it is required that the parties, at least for the timeframe of the mediation, conduct themselves professionally and civilly. In this regard, a joint session is conducted at the outset of the mediation to set certain ground rules and expectations. At all times, a relaxing and friendly atmosphere is encouraged and the use of first names is also promoted.In addition, it is also encouraged that the parties work collaboratively, to the extent possible, to try and reach a resolution that is at least mutually acceptable and, ideally, mutually rewarding. The goal is to bring the parties closer together in terms of understanding the issues and where the differences exist so, even if the matter does not resolve at the mediation, the matter becomes more likely to resolve in the days or weeks following the mediation.