Areas of Expertise

Environmental

North Star has facilitated and mediated cases regarding a wide spectrum of complex, multi-party environmental issues, including issues related to: Superfund Cleanup, Land Use, Water Quality,
Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Wetlands Management, Forest Conservation, Public Lands Management, Historic Preservation
Transportation, Hydroelectric Projects, Wind Power

Organizational

North Star mediators mediate inter-departmental conflicts and interpersonal conflicts in business and not-for-profit organizations and state agencies, and coach senior staff in managing conflicts between staff members in the organization. We also conduct internal sexual harassment and hostile workplace investigations.

Public Policy

North Star facilitators regularly design and facilitate stakeholder dialogues and public engagement processes regarding complex and highly-contentious public policy issues. See our client list.

Court and Agency Issues

North Star professionals mediate family, human rights, employment, mental health, environmental and civil cases as contract or roster mediators for the State of Vermont. We work through the Environmental Court, Vermont Family Court Mediation Program, the Superior Court of Vermont and the Department of Education, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Vermont Human Rights Commission.

Health Care and Insurance

We mediate disputes between healthcare consumers, including mental health clients, and involved professionals, and advocates about claims, payment, and treatment and release procedures.

Community

North Star coaches Select Board and Planning Commission members in engaging their community in discussions of highly divisive conflicts in their towns and have designed and facilitated community conversations regarding a range of conflict-ridden issues related to land use, planning, and schools.

Religion

We work with congregations and clergy around issues of staffing, policy, and practice, and design and facilitate congregational dialogues around highly charged issues such as sexual orientation.

Family

North Star mediators have mediated hundreds of divorce and post-divorce issues such as property division, parental rights and responsibilities, child access and change of location.

We work with high conflict families where alcohol, drugs, mental health, and violence may be involved, and facilitate and mediate elder care, guardianship and end of life issues. We also mediate estate and probate issues.

Business

We have facilitated vision-setting, strategic planning, and organizational capacity building for companies; mediate dissolution of partnerships; and mediate financial disputes between partners as well as disputes between vendors, customers, sub-contractors and businesses.

Municipal and Land Use

North Star trains municipal officials in conflict and meeting management skills, consults with municipalities on planning and zoning regulation, mediates permit and siting issues such as the Burlington Skateboard Project, and assists municipalities in creating municipal mediation programs.