Sean R.

Personal Mediation Philosophy:

My approach to mediation is practical, structured, and grounded in experience. I focus on helping parties move past positions and toward the underlying interests and realities that drive resolution. Effective mediation requires judgment and preparation, not just facilitation, and I take an active role in keeping discussions productive and focused.

I work deliberately with both joint and private sessions, paying close attention to power dynamics, communication breakdowns, and the emotional factors that often shape outcomes. My goal is to help parties reach agreements that are clear, workable, and durable—solutions that allow everyone involved to move forward with confidence.

Experience:

My mediation practice is informed by over a decade of experience handling complex, high-stakes disputes across a wide range of legal and commercial contexts. As an associate at Jones Day, I worked on sophisticated business and tort litigation matters, including international and high-profile arbitrations.

Across my career, I have gained experience that gives me a practical understanding of how disputes escalate, where they stall, and what drives resolution. This background allows me to approach mediation with a realistic, strategic perspective grounded in how disputes actually unfold in practice.

Education:

I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh, where I majored in Communications with a focus in Dispute Resolution.
I then went on to attend Georgetown University Law Center, where I received my law degree.

Sean provides clients with Personal, Professional and Legal Mediation Services

Why I started SMARTER MEDIATION:

I started Smarter Mediation after years of working within traditional litigation and dispute resolution systems and seeing how often they failed the people they were meant to serve. Disputes routinely became longer, more expensive, and more adversarial than necessary. Even when everyone wanted a practical solution, the structure of the process made it difficult to get there.

What stood out to me was how often resolution took a back seat to procedure. The system rewarded delay, formalities, and strategic positioning, while real progress was slow and frustrating. I saw many disputes that didn’t need more legal maneuvering—they needed clearer structure, better communication, and someone actively guiding the process toward a workable outcome.

Smarter Mediation grew out of the belief that dispute resolution could be done better. I wanted to create a service that was thoughtful, efficient, and genuinely focused on helping people move forward. This business exists because I knew there was a better way—and because I wanted to be the one to build it.

Origins of SDR

To learn more about Smarter Dispute Resolution, and why is its a superior model for solving disputes, please click the link below.