Most doctors calling about a partnership dispute don’t call about the money. Not really.
They are calling because they are lying awake at 2:00 AM running the same loop: What happens to the practice while we fight? What do I tell the staff? Who is my office manager loyal to? Am I going to spend $200,000 in legal fees arguing over a $500,000 buyout? Will I still be able to practice in the town where my kids go to school? Will everyone at the dental society know by spring?
From the outside, the practice looks fine. Production is holding and schedule remains full for now. But on the inside, two people who used to trust each other are now documenting everything, and the business they built together is losing value with no off-ramp in sight.
I mediate those disputes. Only those disputes.
Your Fear of Litigation is Justified
- The practice bleeds out while you fight. Staff gossip and pick sides. Referral sources get uncomfortable and drift away. Cash flow plummets and the asset you’re fighting over keeps shrinking.
- The legal fees will exceed the stakes. Discovery, depositions, expert valuations, motions. It is entirely possible to spend more proving you are right than you would have spent simply being made whole.
- The professional toll is tremendous. You lose production time in meetings and depositions. The financial burden prevents you from replacing equipment or maintaining your marketing budget.
- The psychological toll is worse. Your daily stress level spikes, bleeding into greater anxiety, depression and irritability. You lose sleep, and withdraw from your family and friends.
- You signed a partnership agreement you barely read. An agreement from 2011, a boilerplate document from another dentist or the internet, with no procedural detail and a valuation formula that decides nothing (or no formula at all).
- You must keep working with someone you no longer trust. Every morning. In the same three thousand square feet.
- Your reputation is at risk. Dentistry and medicine are small worlds. The specialists you refer to know your partner too. And you have no idea what your partner is saying about you to staff, referral sources, patients and the community at large.
These are all reasonable fears. Mediation exists precisely because litigation makes them all worse.
Mediation Protects You When a Lawsuit Cannot
- Confidentiality. Mediation communication is privileged and inadmissible in court. There is no court file and no mandated discovery.
- Speed. Most practice dispute mediations resolve within a few days.
- Low Cost. Mediated resolution costs a fraction of a single round of expert discovery. My mediation fee is also far less than the big outfits (ADR, AAA and JAMS).
- Your Choice. No judge or arbitrator will impose an outcome on you. In mediation, nothing happens without your agreement.
- The Practice. End the dispute without damaging the practice itself, and by extension its value.
- Relationships. Your staff. Your referral network. Your lender. Your patients. Your family. And (frequently) your former partner.
I Already Understand Your Business
A retired judge or general business mediator needs you to explain dental specific concepts to them, on your dime, before they can be useful. I have 30+ years completing professional practice transitions, averaging roughly 50 transitions annually, so I do not have to be taught. The mediation starts with the real issues instead of vocabulary and treatment modalities. See my About page for more details.
My Role
I serve as a neutral. I do not represent either partner, and I do not decide who is “right.” Also, I cannot force your partner to be reasonable, but I can and will point out the ramifications for not doing so. My job is to find and document the least painful compromise you are both willing to accept, and to get you there quickly with minimal disruption to your finances and psychological well being.
Common Questions About Partnership Mediation
What is partnership dispute mediation?
A confidential, out-of-court process for settling a dispute between practice partners (buyout price, valuation, non-compete terms, departure timing, the real estate LLC) without litigation. A neutral third party (me) works with both partners toward a written agreement you both sign. Nothing is imposed on you; nothing happens without your yes. For dental and medical partners, it ends the fight while there is still a practice worth dividing.
How much does mediation cost compared to litigation?
A fraction. A contested partnership lawsuit runs into six figures for each partner with discovery, depositions, and experts. A mediated resolution usually costs less than a single deposition, and my fee is well below the national outfits (ADR, AAA, JAMS). The bigger savings is time: every month the dispute drags on, the practice loses value.
How long does mediation take?
Most practice-dispute mediations resolve within a few days — sometimes a single session. Litigation runs years and bleeds production time the whole way. Speed here is not convenience; it is how you stop the practice from losing value while the fight goes on.
Is mediation confidential?
Yes. Mediation communications are privileged and inadmissible in court. No public file, no mandated discovery into your tax returns, your household finances, or personal issues. That matters in dentistry and medicine, where the specialists you refer to know your partner too, and where a public lawsuit becomes dental society gossip by spring.
What happens to the practice during a dispute?
Left in litigation, it bleeds out. Staff pick sides, referral sources drift, cash flow plummets, and the asset you are fighting over keeps shrinking. Mediation is built to end the dispute fast, before the damage compounds, so the practice keeps producing and keeps its value. The goal is not to win. It is to resolve it while there is still something worth resolving.
Can you mediate a non-compete?
Yes — and it is often the crux of the deal. Non-compete enforceability varies by state, and partnership buyouts and practice sales usually fall under exceptions that a general employment non-compete would not. Getting the scope, radius, and duration right for your state is exactly what a dental-specific mediator handles that a retired judge would research on your dime.
Where do you handle mediations?
Nationwide. Mediation is a neutral, non-representational role, so no state-specific law license is required. Most sessions run by Zoom, so your location does not matter. Doctors anywhere in the country can work with me, a mediator who already knows dental and medical practice economics and terminology, rather than settling for someone far less experienced and informed.
How do I contact you?
Your call is confidential and costs nothing. 888.963.1120 or RWO@transdental.com.