“The courts of this country should not be the places where resolution of disputes begins. They should be places where the disputes end after alternative methods of resolving disputes have been considered and tried.” — Sandra Day O’Connor
Robin’s Philosophy.
Experienced enough to understand the case. Creative enough to see beyond it.
An effective mediator does more than carrying settlement numbers from one room to another. Neutral facilitation requires preparation, judgment, curiosity, emotional intelligence, and the willingness to look beyond conventional positions for possibilities others may have missed. Mediators must remain impartial and fully engaged. This includes carefully listening, asking thoughtful - and sometimes difficult - questions, testing assumptions, and helping participants evaluate their choices with greater clarity. When a traditional approach is not moving the conversation forward, good mediators know how to change the framework and examine the dispute from a different angle or develop a process tailored to the people and problems in the room.
A Broader View of Conflict.
After nearly three decades as a civil and commercial litigator, trial lawyer, in-house counsel, banking executive, commercial lender, trust professional, and business adviser, Robin rarely sees a dispute as merely a legal problem. A lawsuit may also involve financial exposure, business disruption, insurance considerations, damaged relationships, internal politics, reputational concerns, or a need for finality. The pleadings tell part of the story. The real obstacles to resolution - and the opportunities for it - often lie elsewhere.
That breadth of experience allows Robin to understand complex facts and legal arguments while remaining attentive to the practical and human realities influencing each decision. Robin can speak candidly with lawyers about evidence, procedure, damages, courts, deadlines, risk, and trial strategy while helping parties examine what the dispute is costing them and what a workable resolution might actually require.
Creative Without Losing the Compass.
Robin has always been somewhat of an outlier: independent in her thinking, comfortable questioning assumptions, and willing to consider an unconventional path when the usual one leads nowhere. In mediation, that perspective can be an advantage.
Creativity does not mean abandoning the law, pressuring participants, or manufacturing compromise for its own sake. It means recognizing that every conflict has its own architecture. The process should be structured enough to inspire confidence but flexible enough to respond to what is actually happening. Depending on the matter, that may mean exploring interests that have not been fully articulated, bracketing, separating monetary and nonmonetary concerns, sequencing difficult decisions differently, identifying business solutions a court could not order, or helping the parties reconsider a problem they have viewed through the same narrow lens for too long.
The objective is not novelty. It is movement toward a resolution that is informed, voluntary, durable, and workable in the real world.
Candor With Respect.
People deserve to be heard, but they also deserve an honest process. Robin does not confuse her neutrality with passivity.
Every mediation is held with respect for the parties, their counsel, and the work that brought the case to the table. At the same time, Robin is prepared to, and often does, ask hard questions, identify inconsistencies, reality-test expectations, and explore the consequences of proceeding without an agreement.
Candor is most effective when it is grounded in preparation and delivered with respect. Robin’s role is not to decide who wins. It is to help each participant assess the dispute more clearly, communicate more effectively, and make deliberate decisions with a fuller understanding of the available choices.
Ethics Are Not an Accessory to the Process.
Trust is the foundation of mediation. Parties must have confidence that the neutral is impartial, prepared, discreet, and committed to the integrity of the process.
Robin’s ethical obligations are not merely professional requirements; they are central to her work. She is an Advanced Credentialed Mediator as set forth by the industry credentialing organization, Texas Mediators Credentialing Association. Robin strives to create a setting in which participants can speak candidly, counsel can advocate effectively, and everyone is treated with dignity - even when the dispute is difficult, the history is painful, or the positions are sharply divided.
At Brazos Valley Mediation, agreements are not forced, outcomes are not promised, and success is not measured solely by whether a settlement is signed. A successful mediation is one in which the parties are given a meaningful opportunity to understand their risks, consider their options, and make their own informed decisions.
The Perspective of a Trial Lawyer. The Discipline of a Neutral. The Imagination of an Outlier.
The Brazos Valley deserves access to novel and evolving dispute-resolution services close to home. As a Credentialed Advanced Mediator with extensive civil and commercial legal experience, Robin offers parties and counsel a distinctive combination: courtroom judgment, business and financial insight, ethical independence, and a creative but disciplined approach to resolving conflict. Being knowledgeable in general counsel and financial services, as well as numerous litigation practice areas, Robin has already walked in the same shoes as the counsel appearing before her. Experience gives Robin the advantage of knowing how to work with counsel, claims, corporate representatives and the party-clients to achieve resolution by being able to frankly evaluate risks, the spectrum of interest involved, judicial perspectives, as well as weighing the views of adversaries or opposing parties, in order to find the common threads from which to weave a settlement.
Some disputes need persistence. Some need perspective. Some need a completely different conversation.
Robin’s responsibility is to recognize which one your matter requires - and to help create the conditions in which resolution becomes possible.
Prepared. Perceptive. Principled. Unconventional when the moment calls for it.
Areas of Experience.
Robin K. Taylor has served as legal counsel, mediator or arbitrator in cases, appeals, or disputes covering a wide variety of practice areas, including but not limited to the following:
• Auto Negligence. • Banking/Finance
• Business Contracts • Business Litigation
• Construction • Consumer - Debtor/Creditor
• Contracts • DTPA
• General Civil Litigation • Healthcare
• Insurance • Landlord/Tenant
• Labor & Employment • Oil & Gas/Energy
• Personal Injury • Premises Liability
• Products Liability • Professional Liability
• Torts • Transportation
• UIM/UM • Comp/Non-subscriber
Mediation Process: Getting Started.
Robin K. Taylor is recognized as an Advanced Credentialed Mediator by the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association, the premier multi-disciplinary credentialing body in Texas established to independently evaluate, regulate and provide public accountability of mediators based on rigorous standards of training, experience, and ethical practice.
Any agreement for mediation services is between Robin K. Taylor and the attorney(s) or other representative of the party(ies). You must be represented by counsel to book a mediation. To inquire on availability for scheduling half day or full day mediations, feel free to call, email or use the message boxes on this website. If you directly email Robin regarding scheduling mediation, please be certain to extend the courtesy of copying all counsel (for all sides) so the “reply-all” function can thereafter be utilized for narrowing down and confirming dates.
Mediations are conducted by in-person, Zoom, MS Teams, or other virtual means, or at an office mutually agreed upon by all parties. Hybrid means of ADR are also available, particularly if a dispute is on the cusp of resolution. Brazos Valley Mediation conducts most two-party in-person mediations at 1551 Greens Prairie Rd. W., Suite 101, College Station, Texas 77845, but is open to other mutually agreed upon locations. Various options are available for multi-party in-person mediations.
All parties represented by one attorney or law firm are considered “one-party” for purposes of the mediation fee. For cases involving multiple parties or complex issues requiring significant preparation time, additional fees may be necessary, but this would be proposed before assessed to counsel as part of efficient use of resources to achieve the parties desired result of resolution.
While start and end times are maintained for reasons, if a request is made with enough notice for all parties to be advised, without objection, of a need to start earlier or later than 9:30am, such request will try to be accommodated.
Cancellation Policy: There is no cancellation or rescheduling policy IF the parties provide appropriate notice of the need to cancel and reschedule, to wit, within 4 business days for in person scheduled mediations and 2 business days for scheduled virtual mediations. Failure to reschedule, or a late cancellation, results in a charge of $350.00 per party.
Fees & Formats:
Fees are based on half-day, full-day, and additional time billed at an hourly rate. The parties fee arrangement is provided in a mediator’s packet that is sent to the parties once a time/date is agreed upon.
Payment in advance is required. Mediation will not commence absent payment in full. Please make the check payable to Brazos Valley Mediation. Federal Tax I.D. No. is 81-1171794. There is no charge for introductory or preliminary phone calls prior to the mediation, nor for wrap-up issues post-mediation.
General Fee Format.
Half-Day Mediation Fees (3 options available):
$675 — $850 per party based upon the issues, complexity and number of parties
Morning sessions commence at 9:30am and end at 1:00pm
Afternoon sessions commence at 1:30pm and end at 5:00pm
Evening sessions are available and can be gauged to commence as early as 5:30pm, or as late as 6:00pm, and end either at 9:00pm or 9:30pm depending on the start time.
In-person mediations will be provided coffee, water and soft drinks by Brazos Valley Mediation. Zoom or Virtual mediations will receive a fee reduction.
Full-Day Mediation Fees:
$1,250 — $1,750 per party based upon the issues, complexity and number of parties
Full-day sessions commence at 9:30am and end at 5:00pm
Additional time may be billed at an hourly rate if a mediation extends beyond 5:30pm.
In-person mediations will include a lunch provided by Brazos Valley Mediation, and Zoom or Virtual mediations will receive a fee reduction.
Workplace Resolution & Employment-Practices Facilitation.
Robin K. Taylor also provides neutral, attorney-led facilitation and mediation services to businesses seeking to address sensitive workplace concerns constructively, fairly, and efficiently. Drawing on decades of legal and dispute-resolution experience, she helps employers, employees, leadership teams, and human-resources professionals navigate workplace conflict and improve communication concerning:
Employee relations and workplace disputes
Communication breakdowns and team conflict
Workplace policies, procedures, and employee-handbook concerns
Leave, accommodation, and return-to-work issues
Matters involving the FMLA, ADA, applicable equal-employment-opportunity laws, and related federal and Texas employment requirements
Complaints involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or inconsistent application of workplace policies
Performance-management and disciplinary-process concerns
Organizational change and other sensitive personnel matters
If your business is interested in any of these services, reach out to Robin for a free consultation to evaluate options. Fees vary depending on business concerns, size and type of consulting services sought.