The high costs of litigation, coupled with the loss of available judges to try cases, have made mediation and other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution an important alternative to tradition courtroom litigation.

The firm is proud to provide mediation services to disputants. Both facilitative mediation and evaluative mediation services are available for disputes or litigation arising from environmental, business transactions, or commercial disputes, including lease disputes, business/partnership ownership and operation disputes.

Ted Donohue received his first certification for mediation in 1995 and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine in 1997 on his dissertation concerning the “Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methodologies in the Remediation of Hazardous Waste Contaminated Sites.” Dr. Donohue is versed in the available mediation styles including facilitative and evaluative mediation and in a variety of negotiation techniques that enable him to assist the parties in reaching their settlement. He has been a practicing trial attorney for thirty years in the fields of environmental, business, and construction litigation, which has provided a broad spectrum of knowledge that Dr. Donohue draws upon when assisting disputants in reaching a mutually acceptable resolution to their disputes. View Resume

Al Thel has been practicing corporate and real estate law for over 30 years, representing national and regional real estate developers and Southern California based corporations and other businesses. Al has years of experience in retail shopping center, office, senior living and industrial park developments and investments including REIT's, multinational corporations and smaller entrepreneurial projects. Al’s experience encompasses all phases of real estate development, including acquisition, joint ventures, financing and leasing in a variety of projects include power centers, regional malls, strip centers and free standing buildings. Al is also well experienced in the complications that arise with "big box" tenant leases and issues that arise between owners of investment real estate. Al’s general business experience spans a wide variety of businesses, including advertising, light manufacturing, aviation, education, and race tracks. View Resume

M. Edward Mishow has been head of Voss, Cook & Thel LLP’s Tax Department for approximately 25 years. He is a 1981 graduate of The Harvard Law School and, before that, received his Accounting degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Mr. Mishow has found his Accounting background to be of invaluable experience in resolving business disputes of all kinds, not just tax oriented ones. Because of the tax implications of almost every business transaction, Ed’s experience has involved working with businesses that run the gamut from real estate development and investment, to manufacturing  to food production, to inventing and licensing of intellectual property, to hi-tech consulting firms, to storage container companies. Just like Ed’s tax practice leads him to the representation of business enterprises of all kinds, so too does his tax expertise lead him to dealing with business entities of all kinds, from the currently in vogue limited liability companies, to limited and general partnerships, to regular “C” corporations, to “S” corporations and the like.  Ed takes a “hands-on” approach to business and investment issues and he deals with the totality of a client’s complex transactions, not just those aspects related to tax. Ed makes his 30+ years of experience available to others, in an attempt to help mediate or otherwise resolve business disputes of almost any kind. View Resume

James G. Damon has extensive litigation experience in a wide variety of civil matters within the state and federal courts including business litigation, real property litigation including landlord-tenant disputes, corporate litigation including officer and directors’ liability issues, probate and trust litigation, bankruptcy creditors’ rights and tax litigation issues, general personal injury, premises liability, construction defects, commercial litigation, contractual disputes, intentional torts (civil assault and battery, defamation, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress), subrogation and insurance matters. Jim has argued before the 2nd and 4th District Courts of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. View Resume