“I write to compliment the outstanding effort of the court appointed mediator, Simeon Baum, Esq. On this occasion, the ADR initiative worked well and its success is largely due to Mr. Baum. He spent a very full day with the principals and their attorneys at his office going through the case and the many complex and technical issues it involved. It was clear from his understanding of the issues that he had spent many hours preparing for the meeting. During the session, he made numerous creative proposals and suggestions to bridge the gap and achieve a resolution. They were proposals that I seriously doubt the parties would have thought of on their own–at least with the dispatch Mr. Baum did. Thereafter, Mr. Baum spent several hours on the phone with counsel working tiressly to wrap things up. As a result of his effort, a resolution was achieved expeditiously and the case was closed.”

Charles E. McTiernan, Jr., Esq. Associate General Counsel of Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., on construction case March 18, 2016

“This settlement was due in very large part to the efforts of Mr. Simeon Baum who acted as the mediator. Up until Mr. Baum’s intervention in the case, there had been no meaningful communication between the parties with respect to any possible resolution of the matter, even though we had been litigating for almost six years. When the mediation process was initiated in our case I frankly did not believe that Mr. Baum or anyone else, for that matter, could successfully bring the parties together. There were many times during the process, when I was ready to throw up my hands and walk away, but was dissuaded from doing so by the ever patient Mr.Baum. When it seemed that an insurmountable impasse had been reached, Mr. Baum would calmly ask “Where do we go from here?” He succeeded in holding the process together in what I thought was an impossible situation and through his patience, diligence, good humor and persistence effectuated a very reasonable settlement.”

Philip S. Ross Esq. on employment discrimination class action. March 18, 2016

“I just wanted to thank you once more for your splendid provision of mediation services. Thanks to your even-keeled moderation of the participants’ dialogue and your patient, but perseverant, “shuttle diplomacy,” a highly antagonistic litigation that had dragged on for over three years resolved itself in one day with a true win-win settlement. In my nearly twenty years as an employment attorney – representing both employees and employers – I have never before witnessed an employment discrimination case end with the parties exchanging such genuinely warm handshakes and smiles. Without a doubt, this extraordinary resolution resulted from your efforts.”

Michel Lee, Esq. Head of the Employment Practices Group NY Office: Harvey, Pennington, Cabot, Griffith & Renneisen, LLC March 18, 2016

“Mr. Baum was instrumental in creating a process in which the parties could achieve a mutually acceptable resolution of a very high profile dispute involving my firm. Key to this success was Mr. Baumç—´ patience and optimism, and his ability to listen and establish rapport with all parties. By encouraging us to keep at the discussion despite our differences, he supported the parties in reaching a resolution consistent with our sense of integrity and enabling each of us to turn our full attention back to productive work. Mr. Baum worked with extraordinary perseverance to keep the parties talking in pursuit of their common goal of resolution. This commitment was vital to the successful result.”

John N. Lieber Senior Vice President Silverstein Properties March 18, 2016

“We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincerest thanks for the interest that you have shown throughout this proceeding and for the professional manner in which the mediation was conducted. While we initially expressed some concern that mediation was unlikely to result in a disposition of this action, our optimism grew as discussions progressed. We are certain that without your able assistance settlement would not have been possible.”

John A. McManus, Esq. Conway, Farrel, Curtin & Kelly, P.C. March 18, 2016

“The highly charged emotions of the respective parties involved in this proceeding made an amicable disposition extremely unlikely, and all concerned, with the exception of Mr. Baum, were prepared to break off the mediation session after the first 10 minutes. However, Mr. Baum persisted and following almost 3 hours of patient skillfully conducted side meetings and plenary sessions, the framework of a settlement unexpectedly emerged. As counsel to the complainant, it restored my faith in ADR.”

Everett E. Lewis, Esq. Lewis, Greenwald, Clifton & Nikolaidis, P.C. March 18, 2016