MEDIATION PRACTICE

• Intellectual Property
• Trademarks
• Copyrights
• Franchising
• Licensing
• Patents
• Trade Secrets 

Bill is an experienced mediator of intellectual  property, licensing and franchising disputes of all types, particularly those involving trademark issues.  Bill focuses on seeking business-driven solutions to legal disputes.  With unparalleled real-world corporate experience with a premier worldwide consumer goods company layered on a broad litigation and transactional legal practice and acknowledged expertise in IP, licensing and franchising law, he is uniquely positioned to provide the insights, creativity and practicality needed to efficiently and productively resolve complex contentious matters in these fields.  

• Often results in a quicker and more efficient proceeding with targeted solutions
• No learning curve on the relevant law; avoids wasting valuable time and expense needed to bring an all-purpose mediator up to speed 
• Allows the parties and the mediator to focus on the important business aspects of the matter
• Highly knowledgeable in the many creative ways to craft settlements in the areas of expertise
• Has the credibility to provide an expert evaluation of the case's prospects if requested by the parties
• Provides a reality check when one counsel is not well-versed in the field

Bill does not have a fixed approach or philosophy but prefers to be flexible, employing both facilitative and evaluative techniques as appropriate given the situation and the parties. In his experience, no mediation is ever the same and he will tailor the process to fit the situation.  He is always prepared to spend as much time and effort as necessary and to do whatever it takes to get the parties to achieve a mutually productive resolution of their dispute. His track record speaks for itself: in over 85% of his mediations, the matter has either been settled that day or sometime thereafter as a result of his efforts having paved the way for settlement. 

There are no charges for administrative time or travel time within California.  Willing to travel out of state.