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Feedback digest
This Feedback Digest has been updated to include 16 Feedback Reports and comments received relating to mediations that occurred between July 2005 and December 2020. The feedback respondents overwhelmingly expressed a willingness to use Ms. Samaras again as a mediator and indicated they would, without reservation, recommend her to others. Her skills were rated as highly effective, with all reviewers ranking her at 4 or 5 (with 5 being the highest possible) on the IMI Feedback request form. All of the reviewers were satisfied with the costs of the mediations. In fact, one reviewer commented, “Harrie’s rates are much lower than other mediators with whom I have dealt who weren’t nearly as effective as Harrie.” Overall satisfaction was also indicated as 4 or 5. Most of the responders commented on her depth of knowledge in the area of intellectual property matters, her persistence, her persuasiveness and her patience. As one person commented, “there was no need to ‘educate’ the mediator.” Another said she “understood the legal and technology issues without the need for extensive tutorials.” One reviewer noted that “she earned the confidence of the parties due to her knowledge of the subject matter.” Another commented that Ms. Samaras has “the rare combination of excellent mediation skills, detailed knowledge of patent law and patent infringement litigation procedure, and technical background that helps her quickly grasp the relevant technology.” She was also viewed as “very thorough” in her preparation, with “very good command of the relevant issues and law.” Multiple reviewers spoke of her skill in bringing difficult parties together, with one reviewer stating that her ability in this area was “outstanding." Another advised, “Ms. Samaras was very effective in moving the parties past deeply ingrained positions and negotiating a workable, common sense settlement.” A third mentioned that “She kept the parties talking far longer than I could have possibly imagined”, enabling the parties to narrow the dispute to a single key issue, allowing for “a quick settlement”. One person praised Ms. Samaras’ “extraordinary efforts to try and bridge the gap and reach a successful settlement.” Another expressed appreciation for her efforts “in what were clearly difficult circumstances.” Regarding her persistence, a typical comment was that “she did not give up when settlement seemed unlikely, but continued to re-focus the parties on workable solutions.” She was viewed as “committed, professional and persistent in getting the parties to the same page”. One attorney stated “Harrie had a major impact on getting a final resolution. The mediation was not successful during the formal 2-day mediation, but she persisted in her effort following the formal mediation, and we finally got the case resolved months later. It was also said that she was “flexible, creative and relentless.” Several commenters attributed the resolution of their disputes directly to Ms. Samaras’ efforts, such as by stating “our settlement would not have happened without you.” Key skills of Ms. Samaras, as noted by the reviewers, consisted of her ability to keep the parties focused, offer workable business solutions, and bring difficult parties together to focus on those solutions. She was also “very pro-active” after an agreement was reached to make sure it was fully documented and executed, and followed up after the settlement agreement was executed to ensure that the parties were meeting their obligations. Overall, Ms. Samaras was viewed as a highly effective mediator by her reviewers. Typical comments were that she is “a first-rate mediator”, and that her mediation skills “are outstanding and she earns the respect of the parties.” It was said that she is able to utilize “her legal and people skills in a most productive manner,” and that “her temperament is very well suited to mediation.” One reviewer, who is a mediator himself, remarked that “Ms. Samaras is among the absolute best in the patent field.” No reportable negative comments have arisen in any Feedbacks to date. One attorney, Joseph Wolfson, Esq. of Stevens & Lee, who represented a party in a mediation in 2020, offered to be a reference for Ms. Samaras. His contact information is 215-751-1249, jwo@stevenslee.com.
This feedback digest was last updated 11 April 2021.
This feedback digest was last updated 11 April 2021.