I want to commend you on an outstanding job at the mediation of…  Your hard work helped us to work through some difficult issues and I was extremely impressed not only with your knowledge and grasp of the legal issues, but your obvious experience with some of the medical issues, as well.  I have already recommended you to my partners at this firm for future mediations.

Please feel free to convey a copy of this letter to other attorneys and advise them I will be happy to speak with them if they have no experience with you as a mediator.  Some points I think were very positive about your services are: (1) That you were certainly willing to come to Birmingham with no charge for travel; (2) While this was our first mediation together, and I understood that you had worked with the defense attorney, our research regarding your services as a mediator with other plaintiff's counsel was extremely positive; (3) While your background certainly appears to be more defense oriented, you were very objective in looking at both the strengths and weaknesses of both sides of the case; (4) My clients had a great deal of respect for your opinions and, for the first time in a long time, I felt very comfortable letting the mediator speak directly with my clients about certain sensitive issues; (5) You certainly have strengths in healthcare issues, especially nursing home issues and I believe this greatly contributed to the resolution of this case; (6) Finally, your flat fee service was very competitive and, given your experience in nursing home issues, was actually a bargain.

Most importantly, Richard is able to effectively communicate with the attorneys and parties about how the issues and factors presented affect the value of the case.  My clients have all been very impressed with Richard's demeanor and fair approach to the mediation of their cases.  They have all commented that Richard's ability to communicate with them concerning both the strong and weak points of their cases aided them in making the difficult decisions involved in resolving their cases.

Richard Strauss served as a mediator in a nursing home/medical malpractice case that I handled in Macon County, Georgia.  I highly recommend Richard Strauss as a mediator in these types of cases.  He was knowledgable and well informed about the nursing home industry and nursing home litigation.

Both sides submitted pre-mediation statements, along with pleadings and other documents.  It was obvious that Richard had studied all submissions from both sides, prior to the mediation, and had a clear understanding of the issues upon which the mediation would turn.

From the beginning of the mediation until the end of the mediation, at which time the case was settled, Richard energetically pressed both sides to continue with negotiations, while at the same time offering helpful analysis and suggestions regarding settlement strategies.  Lastly, our client was very pleased with Richard and felt comfortable with him throughout the mediation.  At one point during the mediation, we asked Richard to meet with our client outside of our presence, which was very helpful in advancing the case toward ultimate resolution.

I believe that Richard is very capable of mediating cases across jurisdictional lines due to his acute familiarity with the nursing home industry and litigation all over the country.  I would highly recommend Richard Strauss as a mediator.

We had the pleasure of working with Richard Strauss in mediating our case of…  Although we had never worked with Mr. Strauss before, I was very impressed with the effort he had put into preparing for mediation and his knowledge of the very complicated medical issues that were involved in our case.  Mr. Strauss displayed exceptional knowledge not only of the particular facts of our case, but of nursing home cases in general.  He was extremely thorough, fair, and offered insightful neutral opinions at critical points during the mediation.

Mr. Richard M. Strauss conducted a mediation whereby my client was the Plaintiff.  He did an excellent job.  Although Mr. Strauss' background is in the defense insurance industry, he was not only fair and likeable to my client, but seemed to be able to talk the right language to the other side to help get the matter settled.  I strongly recommend Mr. Strauss as a mediator, and most particularly as regards mediation regarding nursing homes generally.

If anyone would like any further information or to discuss: feel free to give me a call.

My law practice is limited to personal injury and death cases.  In a recent case alleging wrongful death under the Alabama Medical Liability Act, the defense attorney suggested Richard Strauss as a mediator.  I must admit that after reviewing his background I was somewhat skeptical, but after meeting and working with Richard I realized my concerns were unwarranted.

Richard brought a unique and fresh perspective to our case.  His background in the medical arena was most helpful to both sides.  He objectively and impartially analyzed issues and identified risks and concerns pertinent to all parties.

We successfully mediated our case and I look forward to using Richard in the future.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Richard in a successful mediation regarding an automobile accident in Georgia that resulted in severe injuries to my client.  Richard was able to digest all of the factual issues of the accident, as well as understand the intricate details of my client's injuries, and therefore, had an early grasp on damages in this case.  In my opinion, it was Richard's ability to get an early grasp on all of the facts and the damages in this case that allowed us to ultimately resolve our case.

Richard also drew from his previous experience from working with insurance carriers and in-house counsel in such a manner so as to have both credibility and persuasiveness in dealing with the defendants in the case.  I also found it greatly beneficial in our particular case that Richard was willing to travel to the plaintiff's hometown in Alabama to mediate this case at no additional expense.

In my opinion, Richard is very effective in mediating difficult and complex cases successfully.  I wholeheartedly recommend Richard as a mediator.

Recently this law firm had the experience of working with Richard Strauss as mediator in a nursing home wrongful death case.  This law firm concentrates its work in plaintiff's matters only.  Our work includes commercial cases, catastrophic injury, workers' compensation, products liability, toxic torts, etc.

It may seem incongruent but it is our preference in selecting mediators that the mediator come from the defense side of the bar.  Experience has taught us that unless the viability of our claim is recognized by the carrier's representative, the mediation is futile.  Consequently, it is important that the mediator with the insurance person.  The opinions of retired judges and certainly former or current members of the plaintiff's bar rarely have the needed influence on those who make the ultimate decision for the defendant.

When Richard Strauss' name was presented by the defense as a potential mediator, I was pleased to learn of his great experience in handling nursing home cases defense and nursing home perspective.  I had no doubt that his opinions would be given weight by the defense in our mediation.  My only concern was whether or not he, coming into our locality, would be acquainted with the demographics of our area.  Additionally, I was concerned that he might not be informed as to what might be expected both from my law firm or jurors when presented a case such as the one he was to mediate.  Any misgivings I had were resolved early.  Mr. Strauss endeavored himself to acquaint himself with all contestants, the parties, the area, and the potential for the case in the context of all the foregoing.  The result was a fair and reasonable settlement at a fair and reasonable mediation cost.

Having been through this process with Mr. Strauss, I can attest to his work ethic, integrity, abilities, and qualifications, and I recommend him to you should your need for mediation fall within his area of expertise.  If you have additional questions concerning a potential mediation with Mr. Strauss and wish to explore my experience with him further, you may call at the above number.

Richard's objective analysis of the facts and his unique background with respect to acute and long term care were very significant in bringing this case to a resolution.  Richard also demonstrated a healthy stubbornness in refusing to declare a stalemate in the mediation process, so long as there remained the slightest chance of settlement.

I just wanted to write and thank you for your hard work on the recent group of cases we settled.  I sincerely appreciate willingness to address a task of this size and difficulty.

I am always amazed at how prepared you are on the actual facts of the case.  I have had several mediations where the mediator took up half the day just trying to learn the issues of the case.  It is absolutely essential that a mediator know the issues, including the strengths and weaknesses of the case, prior to mediation in order to be able to intelligently address the key points in the case.  Your long-term care experience enables you to do this in an efficient manner which benefits all parties.

I appreciate your hard work during the mediation.  As opposed to just carrying numbers back and forth, you are always ready to discuss the actual facts.  Additionally, my clients commented on how well you conveyed the issues to them in a practical manner.  Your ability to sift through the myriad of insurance and medical issues is a great asset on any complex case.

I also want to thank you for your willingness to travel (at no expense to the parties) in order to allow us to work out this group settlement.  With the number of attorneys, insurance adjusters and other logistical problems, this was the only way this could have been accomplished.  Your ability to travel to a particular venue is always of great benefit to all parties.

Again, I just wanted to thank you for your efforts, and I look forward to working with you again in the near future.

I am an attorney who practices plaintiff's nursing home and medical malpractice.   I have had the privilege of utilizing the services of Richard Strauss as a mediator on several cases.  Prior to becoming a plaintiff's attorney, I practiced for eight years on the defense side.  Thus, I have a very keen understanding of the importance of an objective yet very hardnosed mediator.

In my opinion Richard is one of the best mediators in the nursing home arena.   He is fair to both the plaintiff and defense.  Thus, defense counsel is quite often very willing to utilize his services, especially in light of his background.

In conclusion, I highly recommend Richard's services as a mediator as I have found him to be very effective and have been very successful in mediating cases before him.

As a Plaintiff's lawyer I recently had my first exposure to a mediation conducted with the assistance of Richard Strauss.

The defense lawyer opposing in my case recommended Richard as a person that could settle difficult cases and bring parties together.

I had no hesitancy in agreeing to allow Richard to conduct this mediation after reviewing his website.

I can truly say that the website did not prepare me for the mediation that was experienced in Atlanta with Richard.  I have never made the comment to anyone that "He is the best mediator I have ever experienced in my 20 years of mediation."  This was the one mediation that I could truly make that statement.

Richard's level of preparation and knowledge of the subject matter prior to the time of the mediation was exceptional.  He put my clients at a comfort level and his opening comments helped them understand what they were about to participate in.

Through his approach with my clients helping them understand areas of concern and his bringing to the table various options and suggestions throughout the negotiation we were able to settle a difficult case.

I can highly recommend Richard as an excellent mediator and will certainly use him again in the future.

In my opinion no member of the Plaintiff's bar should ever avoid Richard with his credentials of having a defense oriented background on paper as his past experience did nothing other than aid in the settlement of a difficult case.