Van Dyk Mediation LLC
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Douglas Van Dyk
Mediator and Arbitrator
Douglas Van Dyk is a former Circuit Court Judge in Clackamas County. He is now a retired Senior Judge. He served as a trial court judge for over 20 years. He has over 38 years’ experience with the law as a lawyer, arbitrator, mediator and judge. His civil experience includes trials of all types, including complex commercial litigation assigned to him as a judicial officer of the Oregon Complex Litigation Court under UTCR Chapter 23. Among other areas, his experience includes construction disputes (including delay), real estate, foreclosure, personal injury, securities, employment disputes, and more. As a settlement judge in Clackamas, he resolved hundreds of cases. Before appointment to the bench in 2002, he was a trial attorney at Foster Pepper and Jordan Schrader.
He understands risk and courtrooms.
Mediation: Assessment and Solutions
Mediation is fact-driven. To effectively mediate, case information and assessment is critical. Expect your voice to be heard, but also expect to respond to competing information or points of view. Bring as much documentation, support, and corroboration to the mediation as you can. You may bring experts, too, and you may have them available by phone or Zoom.
Expect Judge Van Dyk to be frank with you and your adversary about the strengths and weaknesses of your case. Judge Van Dyk works tirelessly and creatively toward practical solutions.
Arbitration: Fairness and Efficiency
If settlement is not realistic, you may want to consider arbitration.
Arbitration is an alternative to a courtroom trial. It is a trial-type process, but it is simpler and more efficient than a trial. Arbitration has fewer obstacles to the admissibility of evidence. Arbitrators have flexibility as to timing, so arbitration may happen sooner and proceed faster than a trial. Arbitrators may also have skills or experience that juries sometimes lack. Arbitration is private, so it may help to keep disputes out of the public eye.
