AboutTimmy Chou Expertise I am a experienced Mediator and a partner in a management consulting firm. As a mediator I work as a third-party neutral and specialize in partnership/shareholder disputes, management/labor issues, company culture difficulties, and family-owned business problems. I can help describe why alternative dispute resolution may be a good choice for you. As an experienced management consultant I may be able to offer creative ideas to help resolve your organizational and business problems and disputes. "If you say conflict, I say opportunity".
Question a college i went to was exposed in the press for selling degrees to non students
this damaged my soical credibility and my employment potential.
i spent a great deal of $ at that school
partially my own and partially gov subsidized student
loans more than 100k
rumors are that the school will lose accreditation , perhaps even close, and the achieved credits may or may not be transferable in their entirety
the corruption extended to the highest levels.
thus, i and a group of my fellow students r
considering a class or other action for damages
what do you think?
should we not b able to get the loans cancelled ?
especially if not all credits are transferable? most
are not at the grad level and possibly UG as well
how much punitive , exemplary and other damages can we get?
Best
Answer Thank you for your question!
Mediators act as neutral third parties to disputes and never "get involved" in judging the merits of conflict, but merely use special techniques to help the parties decide together how to negotiate their own settlement.
Sorry for the delay in response, but it seems that it was due to a technical error in the system.
I am not a lawyer and cannot provide legal advice, nor can I address what your legal options might be, or speak to the merits of a legal strategy.
I can only suggest what mediation options you may have short of litigation. My experience is that institutions have some obligation to work in good faith to resolve conflict and to be seen as a constructive partner. Hence, many maintain an ombudsman's office or other mediation person or body where conflicts can be explored.
Try to contact this office and see what options are available.
If you need legal advice, often the local BAR Association will refer you to a lawyer for a free consultation. Please contact them and see if they offer this service.
These are some ideas. Feel free to follow up with additional questions.
For your information, the pros and cons of the types of dispute resolution methods follows.
GOOD LUCK!
Arbitration, Mediation, and Litigation
Arbitration: the referral of a dispute to one or more impartial persons for final and binding determination outside of the judicial system
Benefits of Arbitration:
Confidential, no public record
Limited exchange of documentation, information
Quick, don't have to wait for a court date
Arbitrators have expertise in the subject matter and are trained in conflict resolution
Cheaper than litigation
Preserves business relationships
Negatives of Arbitration
It's a compromise, no %100 winner
Complex arbitration can be costly
If not satisfied, may litigate the arbitration procedure
Poor results with an unskilled arbitrator
Both parties must agree to cooperate in the process
Mediation: the process by which parties submit their dispute to a neutral third party (the mediator) who works with the parties to reach a settlement of their dispute.
Benefits of Mediation:
Neutral mediator can objectively suggest alternatives not considered before
Parties are directly engaged in negotiating the settlement
Can be quicker than litigation
Less costly than litigation
Preserves business relationships
85% of American Arbitration Association cases mediated find successful solutions
Negatives of Mediation
may not reach a binding decision
unskilled mediator
Litigation: using the judicial system to resolve disputes
Benefits of litigation:
a clear winner and loser
uses a prescribed set of procedures
more predictable outcomes
is final
Negatives of Litigation:
waiting for court dates can do more harm
usually more expensive than mediation and arbitration
part of the public record
