Settling is cheaper
than suing
Mediation is a dispute-resolution procedure with a neutral intermediary under Russian Federal Law No. 193-FZ. I do not judge or decide who is right: my job is to structure the conversation so the parties find a solution they are both prepared to honour. It usually takes weeks — against a year or more for litigation with appeal and enforcement. A settlement is not guaranteed: the procedure may end without one, and that is a normal outcome.
Mediation
Shareholder and partner disputes
When a conflict between co-owners paralyses the company.
- Splitting the business and shareholder exit
- Profit distribution and areas of responsibility
- Conflicts between the owner and a hired CEO
Commercial disputes
Disagreements with counterparties where the relationship matters more than winning.
- Debts, deadlines, quality of work
- Mutual claims under contracts
- Restructuring of obligations
Employment disputes
Individual disputes between employee and employer — before they reach court.
- Terms and circumstances of dismissal
- Payments and mutual claims
- Disputes over pay, sanctions and working conditions
Family and property disputes
Situations where a court battle destroys the relationship for good.
- Division of property
- Child contact arrangements — where no non-participants' rights are affected
- Disagreements between heirs — with all interested parties taking part
Mediation session
The core format — in person or online, separately with each side and jointly.
- Private and joint meetings
- Testing the arrangements for feasibility
- Recording the agreements in wording both sides understand
Mediation clause
Prevention: a contract term saying the parties try to settle before litigating. I advise on where such a clause works and where it is useless — the text itself is drafted into the contract by your lawyers.
- Contracts where the clause genuinely saves the deal
- What to agree in advance: timing, choice of mediator, trigger point
- Aligning the procedure with both parties
A mediation agreement is a civil-law transaction. If the dispute is already in court, it can be approved as a settlement. If not, the agreement can be notarised — it then has the force of an enforceable instrument (Art. 12 of Law No. 193-FZ).
Boundaries of the procedure. The mediator is neutral: represents neither party, provides no legal assistance and makes no decisions for the parties. Mediation does not apply to collective labour disputes or to disputes affecting third-party rights or public interests. Participation is voluntary — either side may leave at any stage.
The text of the mediation agreement is drawn up and checked by the parties with their own lawyers — the mediator neither drafts it nor reviews it legally. The agreement to mediate is signed by both parties, and costs are shared equally unless agreed otherwise. I do not take a mediation if I have previously advised one of the parties or am bound to it by a contract in another line of work.
Describe the dispute in your own words — I will tell you whether it fits mediation and where to start.
Describe the disputeThe other five tasks
Crisis management
Financial diagnostics and a recovery plan when liabilities outrun cash flow.
03 / 06Business value
What a company or stake is worth, what drives the number, and what to check before buying.
04 / 06Career strategy
For executives at a turning point: profile diagnostics and workable scenarios for the next step.
05 / 06Recruitment
From line staff to engineers and mid-level managers. Volume flow, targeted search, project teams.
06 / 06Training
Seminars and corporate programmes: money, negotiations, disputes, business value and hiring — on your cases.
Describe the task
in your own words
Write what is going on: you need a person, negotiations have stalled, you are weighing a move or a sale of the business, the cash flow does not add up. I will reply within one working day: what I can help with, how long it takes and the rough order of the price — or tell you straight if the task is not mine.
All messengers work on this number. Write by email or call — whichever suits you. The first conversation carries no obligations and no invoice: first we find out whether working together makes sense. There is no price list, because the price depends on scope, not on the service name; I give the order of magnitude in my first reply, before any work starts.
Follow. I write about the work, case breakdowns and what is going on around. Subscribe if you want to follow — for business, email or phone works better.
