Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) team at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. draws from a breadth of experience in mediations, arbitrations, and special master appointments. Our team is comprised of John E. Keefe, Sr., retired Presiding Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, Frank M. Ciuffani, former Presiding Judge of the General Equity Division and Probate Judge of Middlesex County, Dennis R. O’Brien, retired Judge of the Civil Division, Family Division, and Criminal Division, Marlene Lynch Ford, retired Ocean County Assignment Judge, former Presiding Judge of the Family Division and former Ocean County Prosecutor, Joseph J. Russell, Jr., chair of the Family Law group and member of the firm's Management Committee, and Maureen Binetti, co-chair of the Employment Law group.

When it comes to important concerns in family, probate, employment, commercial and financial services disputes, ADR is often a preferred or supplemental track to traditional litigation. Fundamentally, ADR helps cut through steep litigation costs and, for this reason, there is an increased demand for these services. It is also less formal and less procedurally cumbersome than judicial proceedings. Parties to ADR discussions have more control over the outcome of their case because they can select and have access to the arbitrator or mediator of their choosing, and may actively explore and discuss issues relevant to the case and the decision-making process. ADR proceedings encourage creative solutions that are characteristic of the streamlined approach to ending disputes.