Business, Family & Employment Mediation · Nationwide
Get your stalled matter moving with a neutral third party.
Mediation with Our Neutral brings a calm, experienced former judge to the table to help both sides find workable terms. Michelle C. Ross works alongside your attorneys, or directly with you if you don't have one, on business and contract disputes, divorce and family law, and workplace conflicts. Meet by phone or video from anywhere in the country, privately and on terms you control.
Michelle C. Ross is a mediator, attorney, and former administrative law judge who also served as President & CEO of a sponsor-backed media company. She helps people, businesses, and their counsel move disputes toward resolution quickly and privately, as a neutral, never as either side's lawyer.
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See how Our Neutral works
A quick look at what we handle, how the free 30-minute consultation works, and how to book.
What We Handle
Mediation services for three kinds of disputes
If both sides are willing to talk, mediation can help get a stalled matter moving toward settlement, with or without attorneys at the table. Meet by phone or video from anywhere in the country.
Business & Contract Dispute Mediation
Vendor and customer conflicts, partnership disagreements, contract disputes, and unpaid invoices. Reach terms while keeping your business, and your business relationships, on track.
- Partnership breakups
- Contract & payment disputes
- Vendor and customer conflicts
Divorce & Family Law Mediation
Divorce, custody, support, and estate disagreements handled privately and respectfully. A calmer path that keeps decisions in your family's hands.
- Divorce & separation
- Custody & support
- Estate & probate disagreements
Employment & Workplace Mediation
Wrongful termination, discrimination, wage and severance disputes. Resolve sensitive workplace matters confidentially, at any stage.
- Wrongful termination
- Wage & severance disputes
- Discrimination claims
How Mediation Works
Five straightforward steps from conflict to closure.
A clear, structured process that works alongside your case, whether or not you have an attorney. Here's exactly what happens when you mediate with Our Neutral.
Free intro call
30 minutes, freeTell us what's going on in plain language. We'll explain whether mediation fits your situation, how it could work, and how fast it could move. No obligation, no legal jargon.
Both sides agree to mediate
Usually within a weekWe reach out to the other party and invite them to the table. Mediation is voluntary, and we explain neutrally how it works so everyone can decide. Everyone signs a simple agreement to mediate.
Prep session
About an hour per sideYou meet with the mediator privately to share your side, your documents, and what a good outcome looks like for you. You'll know exactly what to expect before the main session.
Mediation session
Varies by matterEveryone meets by secure video or phone from wherever they are, together and in private breakout conversations, with the mediator guiding the negotiation. Many disputes settle in a single session. You stay in control; nothing is decided for you.
Written agreement
Same day or within daysWhen you reach a deal, it's put in writing as a binding settlement agreement. You leave with closure, certainty, and a result you chose.
Where mediation fits in your matter
Mediation works alongside the legal process, with or without attorneys.
Every matter is different; sample mediation formats are shown below.
Michelle C. Ross
Former administrative law judge & attorney
Former President & CEO, sponsor-backed media company
JD, SMU Dedman
BA, USC
Mediating nationwide
Remote by phone or video nationwide
About Our Neutral
A neutral who has sat in every seat at the table.
Stalled disputes need a credible neutral both sides, and their lawyers, can trust. Michelle C. Ross is a mediator, former administrative law judge, and attorney with over 25 years of experience helping people and businesses resolve disputes privately, by phone or video from anywhere in the country. She works for the resolution, not for either side.
For businesses & referring counsel
Michelle C. Ross mediates business, commercial, and employment disputes as a neutral, not as anyone’s advocate. Referral sources choose her for process discipline, settlement craft, and experience that mirrors what their clients are living through.
As a former administrative law judge with the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, and as an Alternate Board Member of the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board, she has decided real disputes between people and businesses with impartiality and a written record.
Before mediating, she spent decades as a restructuring attorney at national law firms, managing chapter 11 matters from petition through plan confirmation and negotiating high-stakes settlements. She later served as a Managing Director at a global consulting firm, advising distressed businesses on restructuring, bankruptcy, M&A, and litigation.
She has also sat in the CEO’s chair as President & CEO of a sponsor-backed media company, leading a full operational turnaround: renegotiating vendor and customer contracts, restructuring costs, and delivering a substantial EBITDA improvement. She knows what a commercial or employment dispute actually costs a business in cash, distraction, and relationships.
Business & contract disputes · Employment & workplace matters · Remote by phone or video nationwide.
Referring counsel can expect a credible, prepared neutral who protects the process and never steps into either side’s shoes. Every matter starts with a free 30-minute consultation; pricing is tailored, including flat fees for many matters.
She's sat in the judge's chair
Former administrative law judge, and she has also served in a judicial capacity on the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board, deciding real disputes between real people and real businesses.
She's sat in the lawyer's chair
Decades as a restructuring attorney at national law firms, later as a Managing Director at a global consulting firm, negotiating high-stakes settlements where millions and livelihoods were on the line. Referring counsel can expect process discipline and settlement craft, while Michelle remains a neutral, not anyone's advocate.
She's sat in the CEO's chair
Served as President & CEO of a sponsor-backed media company, where she led a full operational turnaround from the inside: renegotiating vendor and customer contracts and restructuring costs. She knows what a dispute actually demands of a business, and of a family under stress.
Author of Flex: A Big Stretch Forward and 40+ published articles on business, restructuring, and dispute resolution. Every matter starts with a free 30-minute consultation; pricing is tailored to what your situation requires, including flat fees for many matters, and is explained clearly before anything moves forward.
How It Can Work
Sample mediations
Every dispute is different. Here are three illustrative ways mediation can move a dispute from conflict to closure.
Illustrative examples based on common case types; not specific client results.
The quick back-and-forth
Two business partners disagree over a vendor invoice and a stalled contract. After a free intro call, the mediator speaks with each side by phone, identifies the real sticking point, and shuttles a few proposed terms back and forth. The dispute settles without a formal session.
The video mediation
A family-law matter needs resolution, but the spouses live in different counties and want privacy. They meet by secure video for a structured mediation session, with private breakout conversations and a written agreement at the end.
The workplace resolution
A small company and a departing employee need to resolve a wrongful-termination and severance matter. Both sides, with counsel, meet by secure video from different locations. The mediator guides the conversation, addresses each concern, and drafts a settlement agreement everyone signs.
Book a Free Consultation
Tell us what's going on. We'll tell you honestly if mediation fits.
Fill out the form and we'll get back to you within one business day, or reach out directly, whichever you prefer.