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Don McNeil | Mediation Blog

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MCNEIL Mediation

A Bid Auction for a Slice of Pie

A Bid Auction for a Slice of Pie

A prominent business litigation attorney (okay, it was Mike Mahoney) recently told me the story of two young men fighting over grandma's apple pie. They could not agree on how to split up the pie. Each wanted to cut the pie their own way leaving the smaller slice to...

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Voltaire and the Cost of a Lawsuit

Voltaire and the Cost of a Lawsuit

At the conclusion of a particularly acrimonious yet victorious trial, a client gave me a framed quote from Voltaire: “I was never ruined but twice: once when I lost a lawsuit, and once when I won.” I keep that picture in a prominent location in my office for all...

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TWO IMPORTANT THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TAXES AND MEDIATION

TWO IMPORTANT THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TAXES AND MEDIATION

In 1798, Benjamin Franklin sent a letter to his friend Jean-Baptiste Leroy reporting “our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Two hundred...

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Two Landmines in Confidential Settlement Agreements

Two Landmines in Confidential Settlement Agreements

Over the last few years, Bill O’Reilly was the subject of at least five claims of sexual harassment that reached a supposed confidential settlement. The settlements occurred before litigation and before there were any public filings at the local courthouse. It was...

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Discourage Litigation

Discourage Litigation

In his papers, historians found fragments of a lecture that Abraham Lincoln had prepared that remains appropriate today for clients and lawyers. This lecture, dated July 1, 1850, provided some sage advice for attorneys that has stood the test of time.  The...

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