Business & civil
Resolve it privately. Keep doing business.
Business and civil mediation in Maryland, DC and Virginia, in person or by video. Confidential, practical and on your schedule, not a court calendar.
- Confidential, not a public lawsuit
- Scheduled around your business
- Keep the relationship you still need
What is business mediation?
Business mediation is a confidential, voluntary negotiation in which a neutral mediator helps partners, companies, landlords, tenants or neighbors settle a dispute without a trial. Steven Corn runs the process; you and your advisers decide the terms, and nothing is binding until everyone signs.
- Free 20-minute consultation
- In person in the DMV, virtual everywhere
- Not legal advice
Private, practical,and yours to shape.
Confidential
What’s said in the room stays there, protecting your reputation, trade relationships and financial information.
You shape the result
Instead of a ruling, you design an agreement around how your business actually runs.
Keep the relationship
Settle the dispute without burning the partnership, the vendor or the neighbor you still have to deal with.
Disputes better settledthan fought.
- Contracts & breach
- Business partners
- Co-founders
- Business breakups & buyouts
- Vendors & suppliers
- Unpaid invoices & debts
- Landlord & tenant (residential and commercial)
- Workplace conflicts
- Neighbor disputes
- HOA & community
Your agreement, nota verdict or an award.
In a jury trial or arbitration, someone else decides. In mediation, the parties shape the terms themselves.
| Jury trial | Arbitration | Mediation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who decides | A jury of strangers, guided by a judge. | An arbitrator you pay to decide for you. | You and the other side, together. |
| What the result can be | Usually a money judgment. | An award, usually money. | Anything you can agree on: payment plans, revised contracts, new roles, a clean exit. |
| Privacy | Public record; filings and hearings are open. | Generally private. | Private and confidential, within the limits of the law. |
| Discovery | Depositions and document discovery. | Often limited, but still adversarial. | No formal discovery. |
| Finality | Appeals can add months or years. | Usually final, with very limited appeal. | Binding only once everyone signs. |
| The relationship | Adversarial: a winner and a loser. | Adversarial: a winner and a loser. | Built to keep working relationships intact. |
A general comparison; every case differs. Mediation is not legal advice.
Common concerns.
Yes. Attorneys are welcome in the room or can review the final agreement. Steven is not a lawyer and doesn’t give legal advice.
In arbitration a neutral decides the outcome. In mediation you do, with the mediator guiding the conversation. Nothing is binding until you both sign.
It depends on what you mean by binding. Any contract signed by two parties can be binding, and a mediated agreement is no exception. If it becomes part of a court order, the court can enforce it directly.
Yes. Steven is rostered with the Maryland Circuit and District Courts and DC Superior Court. Many cases settle through mediation after filing, and courts often encourage it.
Mediation is voluntary, but timing matters. A professional introduction from Steven can help someone reconsider once the heat has passed.
From the other sideof the table.
Steven has co-founded companies, run them, negotiated their deals and been through an acquisition. He knows what a partnership dispute costs the business while it drags on, and what it takes to keep running once it’s resolved.
Start with a conversation.
A free 20-minute consultation to see whether mediation fits. No cost, no obligation.
Get your free consultation (888) 638-4763
- Rostered with Maryland and DC courts
- 5.0 on Google
- Free 20-minute consultation