Archived News

juLY/AUGUST 2020

Update - August 1, 2020 - Continuation of VideoConference Mediation. We have now successfully conducted over one hundred remote video mediations. With the continuing restrictions on live meetings in office settings, and the majority preference to continue with “mediation by video” in lieu of “mediation with masks”, we anticipate continuing remote mediations until further notice.

june 2020

Update - June 19, 2020 - Continuation of VideoConference Mediation. We continue to monitor guidelines from the Courts and from the State.  As of June 15, the Colorado Supreme Court has ordered no jury trials to August 3 (subject to waiver).  Also, the State's "Safer-at-Home" precautions for office-based business prescribe maintaining 6-foot distancing and wearing face masks.
Therefore, unless public policy changes again before that time, given the choice between conversing while wearing face masks and maintaining 6-foot distancing in conference rooms or conducting video mediations, we anticipate continuing remote mediations through the end of July.

may 2020

Update - May 23, 2020 - Continuation of VideoConference Mediation through June, 2020. In consideration of the extension of facial covering orders through June 30, and following the guidance of the Colorado Supreme Court decreeing no jury trials through July 6, we will continue to conduct mediations remotely via Zoom videoconferencing through the end of June.

* * * A Very Timely Reminder to read (or re-read) Doug McQuiston’s excellent series of articles on Online Dispute Resolution which appeared in the February, March, and April issues of The Colorado Lawyer. The three-part series is entitled “Online Dispute Resolution: A Digital Door to Justice or Pandora’s Box?”. Click on the links below to read them:

Part 1: Videoconferencing
Part 2: Artificial Intelligence assisted ODR
Part 3: Ethical Considerations

Doug, thank you for your superb authorship, and for helping Accord ADR Group lead the way as an early adopter of video mediation!

Update - May 11, 2020 - Continuation of VideoConference Mediation through May, 2020. Given the ongoing situation and for the safety of all participants, we will continue to conduct mediations remotely via Zoom videoconferencing through the end of May.

Update - May 4, 2020 - Face Coverings for Critical Businesses.

State of Colorado Public Health Order 20-26 (“Face Coverings for Critical Businesses”) requires the wearing of a medical or non-medical face covering through at least May 17, 2020. “Critical Businesses” include professional services, such as legal [and other] services. Given the choice between mediating “in person” in conference rooms behind face masks or continuing “remote” video mediations, we will continue to conduct all mediations via Zoom videoconferencing through at least May 17.

Those who have participated in our video mediations have agreed, confirming their preference to continue with “mediation by video” in lieu of “mediation with masks”.

We are monitoring local and state government instructions and Court Orders on when to re-open and begin conducting mediations in person again. Even after resuming in person mediations, we will also offer video options for any party who wishes to attend remotely.

april 2020

Update - April 27, 2020 - continuation of “stay at home” orders.

The State of Colorado has loosened restrictions from “stay at home” to “safer at home”.  However, local authorities in Denver, Boulder, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties have extended stay-at-home orders through May 8.  We will continue to conduct all mediations via Zoom videoconferencing through at least May 8, pending further notice.

At this point, we have conducted over three dozen mediations entirely remotely. Given the very positive response to conducting mediations via remote videoconference, we will continue to offer this option for some or all participants going forward, so that counsel, parties, and/or party representatives may attend mediations remotely and safely.

March 2020

Update - March 31, 2020 - Zoom privacy.

This morning, there was a news story raising questions about Zoom’s privacy policies. Zoom has responded. Here is the link to Zoom’s updated privacy policy. We have found Zoom to be safe and secure and we implement settings for our mediations designed to ensure confidentiality of the process. If you have any questions, please ask us.

Update - March 30, 2020 - In order to support you and your clients’ health and safety during these challenging times, Accord ADR Group is available to resolve your cases remotely via videoconferencing.

We have now conducted a dozen videoconference mediations via the Zoom platform, and it has proven to be extremely effective. Please contact us for more information on how we may assist you.

Update – March 17, 2020 - At this stage, we are conducting upcoming mediations via videoconference. 

Until further notice, all currently scheduled mediations will be conducted via Zoom Video Conference.  We will send out specific email instructions on how to log into your mediation via Zoom. 

Please rest assured that we have previous experience using Zoom for mediations, and we have received very positive reviews from mediation participants.  We have found Zoom to be a secure platform in which we can separate the parties into distinct “caucus rooms”, where the mediator can speak with one party and their attorney confidentially and separately from other parties.

In the meantime, we are fully operational - our office phones are being forwarded so we can provide information and scheduling via phone and email remotely. Thank you.

Update - March 13, 2020 - Statement Concerning Coronavirus (COVID-19) Preparedness and Videoconferencing Options

We at Accord ADR Group are committed to delivering high quality mediation and arbitration services at “Our Offices or Yours”, and via videoconferencing. 

We are taking active steps to protect the health and well-being of all of our mediation and arbitration participants, as well as our staff and neutrals.  Our offices are cleaned every day, of course, and that includes wiping down all surfaces with disinfectants.  Tissues are available in our conference rooms, and plenty of soap and water is provided in common areas for visitors to wash their hands. Staff and mediators wash their hands frequently, and we implement similar practices when mediating at your offices.  We have asked staff and mediators to remain home if they are experiencing any respiratory symptoms including fever, shortness of breath, cough, etc., and we would of course request the same of all mediation and arbitration attendees.

For parties or party representatives who may be working under travel or “in-person meeting” restrictions that could interfere with their ability to attend mediations in person, Accord has available, at no additional cost, Zoom™ Videoconferencing. This web-based, bandwidth-manageable videoconference tool allows effective, virtual “in-person” attendance at any scheduled mediation, from any location, via smartphone, tablet, laptop, or webcam-equipped desktop computer.

Attendance is as simple as clicking the secure weblink we will supply to any party, counsel, insurer, or other attendee upon request. No subscription or membership is required. The tool allows the mediator to control the process by having parties participate either jointly in group sessions or separately in confidential caucus “rooms”, where the mediator can speak with one party and their attorney confidentially and separately from other parties. We have used this technology very successfully in mediations, and participants have found it to be very effective.

 We look forward to working with you at our upcoming mediations as we all continue to monitor the Coronavirus-19 situation. For more information on this evolving situation, please consult the CDC website, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html, or World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 .

Thank you. As a timely reminder, to read Doug’s article in the February issue of The Colorado Lawyer describing the use of videoconferencing in mediations, please see the link below.

February 2020

Read Doug’s recent article on Online Dispute Resolution in The Colorado Lawyer.

Click here to read it - “Online Dispute Resolution: A Digital Door to Justice or Pandora’s Box?”

November 2019

Rob Gunning has joined our panel! Rob will provide Mediation and Arbitration services in civil and domestic relations matters throughout Colorado. See the details here.

spring 2019

We are also celebrating Mikaela’s First anniversary of joining Accord ADR Group - Thanks for all your excellent work, Mikaela!

We have added an additional conference room in our Boulder Offices so that we can accommodate more parties.
. . . but please remember that we will either host the mediation in Boulder or we will travel within Denver Metro at No Charge.

"The Death of Satire"

Year End 2018 - new year 2019

As 2018 has ended and 2019 has begun, we are pleased to post this Thank You Note / End of Year Recap / Happy New Year Greeting.

First and foremost, Thank You for the opportunity to be of service to you and your clients this past year. We have enjoyed working with you and we very much appreciate your trust and confidence in us and in our services.

In 2018, we welcomed two new members to our team: Doug McQuiston, Esq. joined us as our first Panel Mediator; also, Mikaela Cail came on board as our new Case Manager. With both Doug and Mikaela in the mix, we have formulated a top quality team available to help you and your clients resolve your cases even more efficiently and expeditiously.

Looking ahead, in 2019, we will be marking our 25th year of "Providing ADR Services at Our Offices or Yours."

With Great Appreciation, Steve Clymer, Doug McQuiston, and Mikaela Cail

november 2018

doug's article on "Early Intervention mediation"

Published in the November 2018 issue of The Colorado Lawyer, Mr. McQuiston’s article “Early Intervention Mediation: A Path to Quicker, Better, Dispute Resolution" explains the Early Intervention Mediation model and analyzes its benefits, including ideas for its application in a hypothetical personal injury case.  Please click here to read Doug’s excellent article and please consider whether “EIM” may have an application in some of your pending cases.

APRIL 2018:

To read an earlier version Doug’s EIM article which was published in DRI, please click here. 

march 2018

Doug McQuiston has joined our panel! 
See the details here

december 2017

We now offer "Zero Emission Mediation".  Drive your electric vehicle to our office and plug in to one of the charging stations located at the front of the building. 

Or, we can drive our recently acquired electric vehicle to conduct a mediation at your office!