Since its inception in 2003, BLC has been a leading provider of mediation and dispute resolution services. BLC is approved as a Massachusetts Superior Court ADR Provider and our practitioners regularly lead mediation trainings offered by MWI, MA Continuing Legal Education, and the Community Dispute Settlement Center. BLC’s David Hoffman, Jim Grumbach and Audrey Lee, are all trained, experienced mediators experienced in mediating commercial, workplace/employment, and other civil matters.
BLC Founder David Hoffman is also an experienced arbitrator. He has offered training in arbitration and has written extensively on the subject. David served as an arbitrator in approximately 180 Dalkon Shield cases, was designated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to provide arbitration services in construction disputes under M.G.L. ch. 142A, and has been arbitrating complex business and employment cases for the American Arbitration Association for more than ten years.
What is the difference between mediation and arbitration? Arbitration is a private form of adjudication. It is generally less formal than a trial in court. However, an arbitrator’s role is to decide the outcome of the case, and the arbitrator’s decision is binding. In mediation, the parties retain control of the outcome. They design their own settlement, which then becomes legally binding.
To learn more about mediation, click here for the mediation FAQs.
To learn more about arbitration, click here for the arbitration FAQs.
For a copy of our Agreement to Mediate, Arbitration Submission Agreement and related forms, click here.