Carolyn Knox Quoted in The Recorder

The November 17, 2005 issue of The Recorder features a profile of Bay Area court-appointed mediator Eric Ivary which includes comments from San Francisco partner Carolyn Knox, who has worked with him on several occasions. Although she relates that she was initially unenthusiastic about facing him in a federal court’s alternative dispute resolution program, due to his former job as a partner in an aggressive plaintiffs’ firm, she goes on to express her appreciation of his work.

“Since her reluctant first experience with Ivary, “ the article states, “Knox has gone back to him repeatedly, particularly for cases in which plaintiffs have serious medical problems. In addition to being well-versed in such cases, Knox said, Ivary's background gives him extra clout with hard-headed plaintiffs lawyers.

"I was stunned by how impressed I was with him, because I'm naturally skeptical of any plaintiff lawyer who wants to become a mediator," she said.

Ivary's style is different from most neutrals, Knox explained, because he tends to delve deep into the technical issues surrounding an injury and its aftereffects. And he prefers to do so with all the parties in the same room, something other mediators shy away from.

"He likes to keep the parties together as long as possible," she said, sometimes almost to the point of discomfort.

For Ivary, Knox said, the tactic seems to work. Ivary said that's because it reminds people that their adversaries are human beings. “