Mediation
For over ten years, Alex Maultsby has been a certified mediator under the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission, authorized to conduct mediations in all court-ordered cases in North Carolina. In addition, he has served as a mediator in pre-litigation disputes, where parties are looking to find solutions to their conflicts before one of them resorts to starting a lawsuit.
Alex finds that being a management-side employment attorney makes him a good mediator because he understands both sides of disputes. Much of what employment attorneys do every day is talk through workplace conflicts and controversies, trying to find a way out that will not create litigation. To be a good employment counselor for employers, Alex continually has to understand the perspective of employees and be willing to advocate around the conference table for their position. Far from making him one-sided about “what should happen,” Alex’s employment law practice actually helps him help others resolve their disputes because he has a very good sense of where both sides are coming from. Employment law is, in effect, a series of mediations small and large.
Of course, being a good mediator also requires understanding litigation. First-hand experience litigating cases helps Alex frame alternative solutions for parties who are engaged in mediation because litigation is hard, expensive, time-consuming, stressful, distracting, and uncertain. He cannot imagine being a mediator without having that experience guiding clients through lawsuits from start to finish.
So, it is Alex’s hope that he can help lawyers and parties across North Carolina find successful resolutions of their employment disputes.
