Helping Leaders Navigate High-Stakes Business Disputes with Clarity and Resolution

When business partnerships break down or high-level negotiations reach an impasse, the stakes are high. Emotions run deep, and the wrong approach can lead to costly litigation, damaged reputations, and missed opportunities. My practice is dedicated to helping founders, executives, and organizations find win-win solutions through trauma-informed mediation and strategic negotiation.

Mediation: Resolving Business Breakups with Dignity and Fairness

Business partnerships often start with a shared vision, but when they end, the process can be fraught with tension, mistrust, and high emotions. I specialize in interest-based mediation, guiding C-level leaders and founders through disputes with a focus on preserving relationships, protecting reputations and the business moving forward, and securing win-win outcomes. My trauma-informed approach ensures that underlying emotional dynamics are recognized and addressed, paving the way for practical, lasting agreements that avoid unnecessary legal battles.

Negotiation: Securing High-Value Deals with Strategy and Confidence

Complex business negotiations require more than just tactical bargaining—they demand deep understanding, strategic foresight, and emotional intelligence. Whether you’re navigating mergers, partnerships, executive compensation, or other high-level agreements, I help leaders negotiate from a position of clarity and strength, ensuring that their interests are not just heard, but effectively advanced.

Why Work With Me?

✅ Over 30 Years of Experience as a CEO, Entrepreneur, and Lawyer – My diverse background as a founder, CEO, and legal professional allows me to bring a unique, real-world perspective to complex business disputes and high-stakes negotiations.

✅ Led Companies from Startup to Successful Exit – As the co-founder and CEO of Cherwell Software, I built and scaled a company that raised hundreds of millions of dollars and achieved a successful exit backed by KKR. I also was CEO of GoldMine Software and led the company from a $40 million valuation to unicorn success in four years.

✅ Extensive Negotiation & Leadership Experience – From leading the National Cybersecurity Center, to co-founding Exponential Impact (a high-tech accelerator) to running multiple high-tech organizations, I’ve been at the forefront of negotiating major business and governmental initiatives. Throughout my career, I have led the negotiation of over $1 billion in transactions across various sectors, including software, cybersecurity, real estate development, and venture-backed enterprises. My hands-on experience in structuring complex deals has given me a deep understanding of how to navigate conflicting interests and create value for all parties involved.

✅ Legal Expertise & Academic Excellence – As a Wake Forest University summa cum laude graduate and UNC Law honors graduate (Law Review, Order of the Coif), I bring deep legal knowledge to every mediation and negotiation. I’m a licensed attorney in North Carolina and the District of Columbia, with legal publications and patents in emerging technologies.

✅ Proven Success in High-Stakes Mediations – I’ve successfully mediated deeply entrenched disputes, including between two brothers co-owning a multi-million dollar business who had stopped communicating and were already in heated litigation. We reached a settlement that preserved both their interests and the health of the business. I also mediated a separation between two founders of a construction and development firm who were at an impasse; we crafted an agreement that honored both individuals and left them energized for their next chapters in life.

✅ Recognized Entrepreneur & Business Leader – I’ve been honored as an EY Entrepreneur of The Year™, one of Goldman Sachs’ “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs,” and “Business Citizen of the Year” for my contributions to business and community leadership.

Whether you’re facing a founder breakup, executive dispute, or a high-stakes business negotiation, I provide the guidance and expertise to turn conflict into resolution and negotiation into opportunity.

Let’s discuss how I can help you move forward.