Legal & Litigation Mediation — Gillette Mediation

Litigation & Dispute Mediation · Washington State

Resolve the dispute — without the cost, delay, and uncertainty of trial.

When a case is ready to settle, the right mediator gets you there faster. Gillette Mediation helps businesses, individuals, attorneys, and carriers resolve disputes quickly and fairly — on terms the parties choose, not a verdict they can't control.

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Practice Areas

The disputes I help resolve.

Years of practice on both sides of the table — and in the executive's chair — across the matters that most often land in litigation.

Employment

Discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage-and-hour, wrongful termination, and separation disputes — resolved with a mediator who has represented both employers and employees.

Business & Ownership

Partner and shareholder disputes, buy-sell disagreements, dissolutions, and breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims among the people who built the company together.

Trade Secret & Restrictive Covenants

Misappropriation claims, confidentiality disputes, and non-compete and non-solicitation conflicts — navigated with an eye to Washington's evolving law in this area.

Commercial Litigation

Contract disputes, vendor and supplier disagreements, and business-tort claims where both sides have a strong interest in a fast, private resolution.

Real Estate

Purchase-and-sale disputes, commercial leasing conflicts, construction disagreements, and boundary or title issues affecting owners, tenants, and developers.

Secured Transactions

Creditor-debtor disputes, collateral and financing disagreements, and UCC matters that benefit from a practical, business-minded neutral.

Why Mediate

A day at the table, or years in the courtroom.

Trial hands your outcome to a judge or jury. Mediation keeps it in your hands — and usually ends the matter in a fraction of the time and cost.

Mediation

Resolve it on your terms

  • The parties decide the outcome — not a stranger
  • Often resolved in a single day
  • Confidential, with no public record
  • A fraction of the cost of taking a case to verdict
  • Certainty and finality when you walk out the door
Trial

Hand it to the court

  • A judge or jury decides — the result is out of your control
  • Months or years of discovery, motions, and delay
  • Public proceedings and a public record
  • Mounting fees, costs, and business disruption
  • Uncertainty until the verdict — and the risk of appeal

The Process

Prepared, efficient, and aimed at resolution.

A mediation that's organized in advance is a mediation that settles. Here's how it runs.

1 Pre-mediation

Counsel confirm logistics and submit confidential mediation statements so the mediator arrives fully prepared. Dates are locked in through our automated scheduling — no reply-all chains.

2 Opening & private caucus

A brief joint framing if it's useful, then confidential one-on-one sessions where each side can speak candidly with the mediator about strengths, risks, and real priorities.

3 Negotiation

The mediator moves between rooms, tests positions, narrows the gap, and surfaces creative terms that go beyond a single number — the moves that actually close cases.

4 Settlement

When the terms come together, they're captured in a written, signed agreement that ends the dispute and is enforceable as a contract.

Built for everyone at the table

Counsel, clients, and carriers.

For Attorneys & Counsel

A neutral who's tried these cases.

You want a mediator who prepares, understands the law, and can give your client a realistic read of the room. And you want the date set without a week of emails.

  • A neutral who has represented both plaintiffs and defendants
  • Automated scheduling that ends the "who's free when" thread
  • Candid, confidential caucus work that moves the number
  • Honest case evaluation when you want it
  • Flat, per-side fees you can quote your client up front
For Parties & Carriers

Certainty, sooner.

Litigation is slow, public, and expensive, and the outcome is never guaranteed. Mediation gives you a fair hearing and a result you helped shape.

  • A fair, neutral process without the courtroom
  • Resolution measured in days, not years
  • Confidential — protecting reputation and relationships
  • Predictable cost instead of an open-ended legal bill
  • Experience with multi-party and insured matters, including split payment

Scheduling that respects everyone's calendar.

Agree on a month with opposing counsel and our automated system handles the rest — secure links, confidential availability, and the first date that works for everyone. No back-and-forth.

See How Scheduling Works

The Mediator

Real-world experience. Practical perspective.

Rob Gillette practiced employment and business litigation on both sides of the table — representing employers, employees, and public entities. That balanced view helps him understand the motivations, risks, and priorities driving every dispute.

He has also led from the other chair. As CEO of a multi-site organization with more than 250 employees, Rob managed complex matters and negotiated with employees, insurers, and regulators. His approach is professional, efficient, and grounded in the way real decisions actually get made.

  • Litigator on both sides — plaintiff and defense
  • Former CEO managing 250+ employees and high-stakes negotiations
  • Employment, business, commercial, real estate & secured transactions
  • Technology-forward scheduling that respects counsel's time
  • Serving parties, counsel, and carriers across Washington State
More About Rob

Common Questions

What counsel and parties ask.

Who pays for the mediation?
In a litigated dispute, the fee is typically split between the parties — each side pays its share. Gillette Mediation charges a flat, per-side fee so counsel can quote the cost to their client up front, and multi-party matters can be divided among the parties. See Fees & Policies for current rates.
Is mediation binding?
Not by itself. The mediator does not decide anything or impose an outcome. Nothing is binding unless and until the parties sign a settlement agreement — and once they do, that agreement is enforceable as a contract that ends the dispute.
Is it confidential?
Yes. Communications made in mediation are generally confidential and privileged under Washington's Uniform Mediation Act (RCW 7.07) and are treated as inadmissible settlement discussions. What is said in the room is not used against a party if the case does not settle.
When is the right time to mediate?
Both early and later mediation can work. Mediating before suit or early in a case saves the most in cost and disruption; sometimes a few key depositions or document exchanges help both sides assess risk first. We're glad to talk through the right timing for your matter.
Do we exchange mediation briefs?
Usually each side submits a confidential statement to the mediator that the other side does not see. Parties can also choose to exchange briefs when that would help. We'll set expectations during scheduling so everyone arrives prepared.
What if we don't settle that day?
Many cases that don't settle in the room resolve in the days or weeks afterward, because the process narrows the issues and clarifies each side's risk. Nothing discussed is admissible, so the parties lose nothing by trying — and the mediator often stays involved to help close the gap.
How long does it take, and is it in person or remote?
Most mediations are completed in a single day or half-day; complex or multi-party matters may need more time. Sessions can be held in person or by secure video, whichever serves the parties and counsel best.
Do you handle multi-party and insurance matters?
Yes. The process and the scheduling system are built for multiple parties, multiple counsel, and carriers, including matters that require split or apportioned payment among the participants.
Do the parties need attorneys?
In litigated disputes the parties are usually represented, and representation is recommended so each side has guidance on whether a proposed resolution serves its interests. Gillette Mediation is a neutral and does not represent or advise any party.

Ready to put the dispute behind you?

Tell us about the matter and we'll get a date on the calendar — quickly, and without the scheduling runaround. The first conversation is confidential and carries no obligation.

Schedule a Mediation Contact Gillette Mediation

Gillette Mediation provides neutral, third-party dispute-resolution services and does not represent or provide legal advice to any party. Information on this page is general and not legal advice. Confidentiality and the terms of any settlement are governed by the written agreement signed by the participants and applicable Washington law.