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Richard Spier

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Feedback digest by AAA-ICDR, 10 Jul 2018 This Feedback Digest has been updated to include 37 Feedbacks in 31 Mediations as of January 29, 2013. Parties and counsel who have used Richard Spier would overwhelmingly use his services again and would, without hesitation, recommend him to others. Typical of the comments reflecting Mr. Spier’s acceptability are: • Mr. Spier is efficient, economical, and he does not needlessly allow the mediation to bog down. Yet, at the same time, Mr. Spier is willing to go the distance -- no matter how long it takes -- to keep the parties working on the same track; • Rich is extremely intelligent, professional and respectful, and he has a great way with people; • Rich is one of the best mediators in the Pacific Northwest. I will continue to use him on all my most difficult and complex cases; • I found Rich Spier to be personable, knowledgeable, and driven to resolve the case for the parties; • I have used Rich approximately five times and would use him again without hesitation. He works extremely hard and has always gotten the cases settled; • I’ve used him many times and have always been pleased with his work; • Mr. Spier helps the parties reach a resolution, in several cases where I thought it was impossible; • Rich understood the fairly complicated issue and was able to approach the parties in a humorous way that lightened the air; • He is the best and most effective mediator in the Portland area; • He worked very hard to get the matter resolved and was very persuasive; • I have used Mr. Spier for several mediations in the past, involving a variety of different subject matters (i.e. business disputes, probate disputes and personal injury claims) and will use him again; • Mr. Spier is personable with clients and does a fair job moving discussions along; • Mr. Spier has consistently exhibited a high degree of professionalism in mediating several cases in which I have been trial counsel. He comes prepared to discuss the issues and has a forthright style and credibility which facilitate settlement of difficult commercial and business cases; • He was effective. My clients appreciated his efforts; • From the outset, it was clear that Rich had carefully reviewed all of the materials submitted as part of the mediation statement, some of which were complex. He had a clear grasp of the issues. I appreciated the diligence he showed in keeping the settlement negotiations moving forward and his timely follow-up on lingering issues to wrap up the settlement; • Rich is particularly good in resolving cases in which there is a difficult client on one side or both. He is one of the top five mediators in the state; • Mr. Spier stays with the matter and continues to work with parties to reach resolution beyond the formal proceedings; • Mr. Spier understood the legal basis, was quick to learn the factor in the particular dynamic, get to the heart of the differences, made clients feel comfortable with an inherently stressful process, explained the pros and cons of the offers, gave the impression of working for them, and reduced agreement to writing on the spot; • I have worked with him before and have always been satisfied; • Mr. Spier is my first choice for a mediator and I have recommended him to others. Although I primarily represent plaintiffs, defense counsel in many cases have offered or agreed to Mr. Spier, which is a good indication of his reputation for fairness; • He is able to get both sides to trust without pandering and find a deal if there is one there; • Mr. Spier not only works hard, but is a pleasure to deal with; • Mr. Spier is one of the best mediators in the state of Oregon; • Mr. Spier grasped the facts and legal concepts quickly; given his experience with litigation, his insights were credible. He was fun and engaging; • Rich has an excellent rapport with people, is practical, flexible, and has a nose for where a deal can be made. Mr. Spier’s mediation skills and abilities are rated as highly effective. Typical of feedback received in this regard are: • His skills are unsurpassed. He cuts to the chase and tells both sides what he perceives as their weaknesses; • He uses a facilitative to evaluative style when necessary; • Rich clearly reviewed the parties' mediation statements in preparation, identified the parties with whom the most time needed to be spent, and kept all other parties updated as the mediation progressed toward the resolution; • He has perseverance and creativity; • He is tough and direct in his discussions with the litigants; • He never gives up and he has the ability to converse with and persuade all types of people; • He is very frank, has lots of experience, and has a very unbiased approach to resolution; • He had the ability to see the end game and used his proposal at the right time; • His ability to make each party feel their side was important and their voice was heard made a decisive difference in the outcome; • He had good interpersonal skills with our clients and he had the ability to persuade the other side of the strengths of our case; • His experience and intellect made a decisive difference in the outcome; • He does his homework, listens to the parties, and is a strong persuader in focusing the parties on the relative strengths and weaknesses of their respective cases; • Mr. Spier is skilled in negotiation and knowledgeable about the legal issues involved in the employment cases he has mediated for me. He is always well-prepared; • Mr. Spier's low key, but forthright style makes it easier for clients to listen to his recommendations which facilities settlement; • Mr. Spier had a careful analysis of claims and defenses in context of facts known, an evaluation of the parties' impression to trier of fact, a consideration of skill of counsel, and a careful explanation of risk/benefit of litigation v. settlement to clients; • Mr. Spier is very thorough and strategic in terms of bringing the parties together; • Mr. Spier is good at listening and identifying common ground; • Mr. Spier quickly gets up to speed on the law and facts; helps sides evaluate their cases in a non-confrontational manner; and is prepared to reduce a mediated settlement to a firm agreement. His proficiency in conducting the mediation made it successful; • Mr. Spier has an uncanny ability to find that magic number where neither side is truly happy with the result but understands it to be a good settlement; • He is patient, a good listener, firm when needed, and creative; • Mr. Spier has an ability to be sensitive to parties on both sides, and at the same time give a neutral and reasonable assessment of the claims and impact of litigation; • He has a good sense of realism and insights into weaknesses; • Mr. Spier shows persistence and creativity; • The case would not have settled without him; he has patience, clarity, persistency and sensitivity; • Mr. Spier’s skill and expertise facilitated the negotiations and allowed the parties reach resolution. Mr. Spier is also highly regarded for his ability to effect a positive outcome. For example, one provider of feedback noted that the mediation brought both sides together and gave the parties and representatives a better understanding of the personal dynamics involved. While another noted that Mr. Spier gets good results, and makes the parties feel good about the results he gets. It was also noted by another provider of feedback that the parties' settlement positions were drastically far apart. However, Rich continually expressed optimism to the parties that he thought they could eventually settle our differences, despite their initial positions. He used creative ways to try to overcome the impasse. Even after the parties walked away from the initial mediation, Rich made himself available to keep the lines of communications open between the parties until they reached a verbal settlement, which he then quickly summarized in writing for the parties to prepare later. Without his persistence, the parties would not have settled the case. Costs were widely reported as reasonable in the context of the value of the disputes mediated by Mr. Spier, and in general a very high degree of satisfaction was reported. No reportable negative comments have been received since Mr. Spier’s designation as an IMI Certified Mediator.
This feedback digest was last updated 25 March 2013.

by AAA-ICDR, 28 Apr 2024

This Feedback Digest has been updated to include 37 Feedbacks in 31 Mediations as of January 29, 2013. Parties and counsel who have used Richard Spier would overwhelmingly use his services again and would, without hesitation, recommend him to others. Typical of the comments reflecting Mr. Spier’s acceptability are: • Mr. Spier is efficient, economical, and he does not needlessly allow the mediation to bog down. Yet, at the same time, Mr. Spier is willing to go the distance -- no matter how long it takes -- to keep the parties working on the same track; • Rich is extremely intelligent, professional and respectful, and he has a great way with people; • Rich is one of the best mediators in the Pacific Northwest. I will continue to use him on all my most difficult and complex cases; • I found Rich Spier to be personable, knowledgeable, and driven to resolve the case for the parties; • I have used Rich approximately five times and would use him again without hesitation. He works extremely hard and has always gotten the cases settled; • I’ve used him many times and have always been pleased with his work; • Mr. Spier helps the parties reach a resolution, in several cases where I thought it was impossible; • Rich understood the fairly complicated issue and was able to approach the parties in a humorous way that lightened the air; • He is the best and most effective mediator in the Portland area; • He worked very hard to get the matter resolved and was very persuasive; • I have used Mr. Spier for several mediations in the past, involving a variety of different subject matters (i.e. business disputes, probate disputes and personal injury claims) and will use him again; • Mr. Spier is personable with clients and does a fair job moving discussions along; • Mr. Spier has consistently exhibited a high degree of professionalism in mediating several cases in which I have been trial counsel. He comes prepared to discuss the issues and has a forthright style and credibility which facilitate settlement of difficult commercial and business cases; • He was effective. My clients appreciated his efforts; • From the outset, it was clear that Rich had carefully reviewed all of the materials submitted as part of the mediation statement, some of which were complex. He had a clear grasp of the issues. I appreciated the diligence he showed in keeping the settlement negotiations moving forward and his timely follow-up on lingering issues to wrap up the settlement; • Rich is particularly good in resolving cases in which there is a difficult client on one side or both. He is one of the top five mediators in the state; • Mr. Spier stays with the matter and continues to work with parties to reach resolution beyond the formal proceedings; • Mr. Spier understood the legal basis, was quick to learn the factor in the particular dynamic, get to the heart of the differences, made clients feel comfortable with an inherently stressful process, explained the pros and cons of the offers, gave the impression of working for them, and reduced agreement to writing on the spot; • I have worked with him before and have always been satisfied; • Mr. Spier is my first choice for a mediator and I have recommended him to others. Although I primarily represent plaintiffs, defense counsel in many cases have offered or agreed to Mr. Spier, which is a good indication of his reputation for fairness; • He is able to get both sides to trust without pandering and find a deal if there is one there; • Mr. Spier not only works hard, but is a pleasure to deal with; • Mr. Spier is one of the best mediators in the state of Oregon; • Mr. Spier grasped the facts and legal concepts quickly; given his experience with litigation, his insights were credible. He was fun and engaging; • Rich has an excellent rapport with people, is practical, flexible, and has a nose for where a deal can be made. Mr. Spier’s mediation skills and abilities are rated as highly effective. Typical of feedback received in this regard are: • His skills are unsurpassed. He cuts to the chase and tells both sides what he perceives as their weaknesses; • He uses a facilitative to evaluative style when necessary; • Rich clearly reviewed the parties' mediation statements in preparation, identified the parties with whom the most time needed to be spent, and kept all other parties updated as the mediation progressed toward the resolution; • He has perseverance and creativity; • He is tough and direct in his discussions with the litigants; • He never gives up and he has the ability to converse with and persuade all types of people; • He is very frank, has lots of experience, and has a very unbiased approach to resolution; • He had the ability to see the end game and used his proposal at the right time; • His ability to make each party feel their side was important and their voice was heard made a decisive difference in the outcome; • He had good interpersonal skills with our clients and he had the ability to persuade the other side of the strengths of our case; • His experience and intellect made a decisive difference in the outcome; • He does his homework, listens to the parties, and is a strong persuader in focusing the parties on the relative strengths and weaknesses of their respective cases; • Mr. Spier is skilled in negotiation and knowledgeable about the legal issues involved in the employment cases he has mediated for me. He is always well-prepared; • Mr. Spier's low key, but forthright style makes it easier for clients to listen to his recommendations which facilities settlement; • Mr. Spier had a careful analysis of claims and defenses in context of facts known, an evaluation of the parties' impression to trier of fact, a consideration of skill of counsel, and a careful explanation of risk/benefit of litigation v. settlement to clients; • Mr. Spier is very thorough and strategic in terms of bringing the parties together; • Mr. Spier is good at listening and identifying common ground; • Mr. Spier quickly gets up to speed on the law and facts; helps sides evaluate their cases in a non-confrontational manner; and is prepared to reduce a mediated settlement to a firm agreement. His proficiency in conducting the mediation made it successful; • Mr. Spier has an uncanny ability to find that magic number where neither side is truly happy with the result but understands it to be a good settlement; • He is patient, a good listener, firm when needed, and creative; • Mr. Spier has an ability to be sensitive to parties on both sides, and at the same time give a neutral and reasonable assessment of the claims and impact of litigation; • He has a good sense of realism and insights into weaknesses; • Mr. Spier shows persistence and creativity; • The case would not have settled without him; he has patience, clarity, persistency and sensitivity; • Mr. Spier’s skill and expertise facilitated the negotiations and allowed the parties reach resolution. Mr. Spier is also highly regarded for his ability to effect a positive outcome. For example, one provider of feedback noted that the mediation brought both sides together and gave the parties and representatives a better understanding of the personal dynamics involved. While another noted that Mr. Spier gets good results, and makes the parties feel good about the results he gets. It was also noted by another provider of feedback that the parties' settlement positions were drastically far apart. However, Rich continually expressed optimism to the parties that he thought they could eventually settle our differences, despite their initial positions. He used creative ways to try to overcome the impasse. Even after the parties walked away from the initial mediation, Rich made himself available to keep the lines of communications open between the parties until they reached a verbal settlement, which he then quickly summarized in writing for the parties to prepare later. Without his persistence, the parties would not have settled the case. Costs were widely reported as reasonable in the context of the value of the disputes mediated by Mr. Spier, and in general a very high degree of satisfaction was reported. No reportable negative comments have been received since Mr. Spier’s designation as an IMI Certified Mediator.
This feedback digest was last updated 25 March 2013.