What is Dispute Resolution Resources?

Dispute Resolution Resources provides counseling, attorney referral, client advocacy, case management and mediation services.   It was established to make available   to small businesses and individuals the kind of services that a general counsel would provide to a corporate client.  

DRR was created with the objective of helping its clients resolve their disputes and get through the legal process in an efficient and economical basis--while achieving their goals.   By preparing clients in advance for the process, DRR can help them save thousands of dollars by focusing them on their true interests, helping them to understand the legal process and the extent of available legal remedies and then finding the appropriate lawyers and other professionals to represent them.   DRR can also continue on with the client to act as their advocate and help to manage the legal process.   DRR also provides mediation and conciliation services to help clients resolve disputes without resorting to the judicial system.

DRR was founded by Stanley Witkow, a lawyer and general counsel to a number of the country's most prominent companies for more than 30 years.   Through his career, Mr. Witkow has resolved thousands of disputes by employing outside-the-box strategies which have resulted in faster resolution, lower attorneys fees and more effective results.

During his career, Mr. Witkow has come to appreciate that parties to a dispute, whether they be CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, individuals involved in a dispute with a neighbor or couples embroiled in family law matters, all share certain similarities.They are emotionally involved in the case, which makes it difficult to clearly identify core issues or appreciate difficulties with their cases. They let their counsel develop resolution strategies. They often select their counsel based on recommendations from third-parties who may not be familiar with the subtleties of the dispute--and with little personal investigation or due diligence. And they don't have the time or skills to manage the professionals once the litigation gets underway.  

DRR works with its clients to address all of these issues.   First, DRR conducts in-depth interviews with its clients, working with them to identify their core concerns and objectives. It helps clients to understand their upsides and downsides, the general parameters of relief that may be available to them, or penalties that might be imposed.   Once the clients have a real appreciation of their situation, DRR helps develop a strategy for resolution. Sometimes that involves litigation, sometimes mediation, sometimes a direct approach to the other party to a dispute.   It involves the selection of the professional: sometimes a lawyer with one kind of a reputation is more effective than one with another kind of reputation, even though both may be equally skilled and experienced.   A key service that DRR provides, which is common in large corporations but less so for individuals and small businesses is the individualized search for exactly the right professional to handle the matter.   Finally, if a client wishes, it can retain DRR as its "client advocate" to work with the selected professionals, acting as both a go-between, providing the client with status reports and explanations of the case as it proceeds, and also monitoring the activities of the professionals to make sure that they remain on focus, working efficiently and economically.  

DRR is a strong advocate of alternative dispute resolution techniques. When parties allow a judge or arbitrator to be the decision-maker, both parties lose control of the resolution--which often leads to another dispute.   If the opposing parties can be brought together to work out a compromise--where both parties can explain the issues that are key to them and work constructively so that each can achieve those key needs--the resulting settlement is much more likely to be effective.   This kind of result is known as a "win-win" result and DRR is prepared to act as a mediator or facilitator where the parties are ready to resolve their conflicts in this way.