Mediation Services

You might be surprised that we often say mediation doesn’t work for family businesses. That’s because mediation does not impact systemic, identity-based conflict, which is inherent in family business.

Mediation can be effective when dealing with an isolated dispute, or as part of a more holistic solution.

What’s crucial to make mediation work for family business: Understanding mediation’s limits in the family business context and having a know how to recognize when a dispute is just one manifestation of a more systemic concern that must be addressed.

How We Can Help

Expert Need & Impact Assessment

We evaluate your situation and potential impact of mediation.

Family Business Specialist Mediators

Our mediators are family business specialists and understand unique family business dynamics to effectively resolve issues.

Help You Know What’s Next

If more help is needed, our experts understand how to impact systematic conflict and can advise you on next steps for resolution and strategies for ongoing conflict management.

Expert Family Business Dispute Resolution and Mediation

Because Continuity has deep experience with all facets of family enterprise and working with families, we understand what mediation can and cannot do—and we know how to make what it can do most successful over the long term.

Conflicts in family business often involve things that are not negotiable—deeply held beliefs and values that don’t lend themselves to any negotiating process, including mediation. Exceptions are disputes over property, power, and position– those can be negotiated, and we have a team that can do that better than anyone else.

Meet our mediation specialists:

Arline Kardasis

Arline Kardasis is an expert mediator with a specialty in managing family and family enterprise conflict. She is co-author, with Continuity Managing Partner Blair Trippe and Partner Rikk Larsen.

Rikk Larsen

Rikk consults with family business owners, family members, management, and their trusted advisors to assist them with succession planning, conflict resolution, family meetings, and strategic planning.

About Us

Since 2003, Continuity Family Business Consulting has helped families around the world build connected, intentional and productive futures. Headquartered in Boston, our advisors offer extensive experience and training in business, family systems, and conflict management.

We know how to effectively integrate the expertise of estate planners, CPAs, key non-family executives, and family business stakeholders – both in and out of the business – to produce plans that work as well for the business as they do for the family.