Practice Area 04 / 04
Mediation, arbitration, and early neutral evaluation across commercial disputes, contract matters, partnership dissolutions, and business torts. When litigation is slow and expensive, ADR offers a faster, more tailored path to resolution.
Why ADR
Alternative Dispute Resolution — mediation, arbitration, and early neutral evaluation — offers businesses a more efficient path to resolution than traditional litigation. ADR is faster, more flexible, and often more cost-effective. But it only works well when the neutral brings subject-matter expertise and a practical understanding of how commercial disputes actually settle.
Leslie has handled contract disputes, partnership dissolutions, vendor conflicts, shareholder matters, intellectual property disputes, and business torts. She understands the commercial interests at play — the need to preserve relationships, protect confidentiality, and resolve disputes without the cost and delay of protracted litigation.
Commercial parties almost always value the relationship more than the claim. Good ADR preserves both — helping parties exit disputes with dignity and move forward without lingering resentment or reputational harm.
Three Distinct Methods
Each ADR method resolves different disputes differently. Leslie helps you select the process that fits the matter, the parties, and the outcome you actually need.
A voluntary, confidential, facilitated conversation. Parties retain full control over the outcome; the neutral helps surface interests, test positions, and construct a settlement the parties themselves author.
A private, binding adjudication with the structure of a trial and the efficiency of a focused hearing. The arbitrator issues a written award; the decision is generally enforceable in court.
An efficient, non-binding assessment by an experienced neutral — delivered early, before discovery costs accumulate. The evaluation surfaces strengths, weaknesses, and realistic valuation ranges.
Commercial Matters Handled
Performance disputes, payment conflicts, termination clauses, force-majeure invocations, and other contract-breach claims.
Exit disputes, buy-sell disagreements, valuation conflicts, and partner expulsion matters in partnerships and LLCs.
Supply-chain conflicts, product-quality disputes, service-level disagreements, and vendor-termination matters.
Shareholder oppression, derivative claims, stock-valuation disputes, and closely held corporation conflicts.
Trade-secret misappropriation, licensing disputes, copyright conflicts, and trademark infringement claims.
Franchisor-franchisee conflicts, territory disputes, royalty disagreements, and termination matters.
Purchase-sale disputes, lease conflicts, easement disagreements, and title/boundary matters.
Fraud, misrepresentation, tortious interference, unfair competition, and other business-tort claims.
Leslie's Approach
"Commercial parties rarely want a trial — they want a durable resolution that preserves the relationship and protects the business. Good ADR delivers both."
— Leslie W. Langbein
Leslie serves on the American Arbitration Association's Commercial Panel and has handled a wide range of business disputes — from small vendor conflicts to multi-million-dollar shareholder matters. She understands the business context that shapes these disputes and tailors her process accordingly.
Her mediation style is active — surfacing barriers, testing positions, and helping parties construct practical settlements. Her arbitration practice is efficient and disciplined — focused hearings, proportional discovery, and timely awards.
How It Works
Initial call to understand the dispute, the parties, the preferred process, and logistics.
Position statements, contracts, correspondence, and key documents submitted. Leslie reviews the file and identifies core issues.
Structured mediation session, arbitration hearing, or evaluation conference — tailored to the complexity and needs of the matter.
Settlement agreement (mediation), written award (arbitration), or evaluation report (ENE) — memorialized promptly.
