In addition to the firm’s client representation, John R. Foley serves as a third-party neutral in matters referred by attorneys and the courts — drawing on more than forty years of trial and settlement experience.
Third-party neutral work is a distinct discipline from client advocacy. It requires a different set of instincts — the capacity to hold the tension of a dispute without collapsing it prematurely, the willingness to make a ruling and defend it, and the patience to let parties arrive at their own resolution when that is what the matter needs. John R. Foley has served in these roles since the 1990s and accepts appointments across the four domains below.
As mediator, John serves as liaison, communicator, and evaluator in structured settlement negotiations. The role is to facilitate a resolution the parties themselves construct — not to impose one. John accepts mediation assignments in family law, probate and trust disputes, commercial disputes, and the full range of civil matters.
As arbitrator, John acts as the judge and trier of fact in a private adjudicative proceeding. The parties present their evidence, make their arguments, and receive a binding decision. Arbitration provides the finality of litigation without the docket delays and procedural overhead, and John accepts appointments in commercial, family, and probate matters.
When John is appointed receiver, he takes possession of and responsibility for a business or other valuable asset pending further order of the court. Receivership appointments arise in contested business divorces, post-judgment collection, dissolution proceedings, and matters where a business or trust asset requires neutral management during contested litigation. John has served as receiver in a range of commercial and personal matters referred by the state circuit courts.
As discovery master, John is appointed to coordinate the discovery process and the flow of information in complex litigation, and to make decisions regarding disclosure, production, and discovery disputes — relieving the trial judge of the day-to-day management of large discovery fights. The role is particularly useful in matters involving substantial document productions, privilege disputes, and multi-party cases.
Neutral work succeeds when the parties leave the process believing they were heard, even if the outcome did not favor them. The discipline is not in the decision; it is in the conduct of the proceeding that produces it.
Attorneys and parties seeking to refer a matter for mediation, arbitration, receivership, or discovery master services may contact the firm directly to discuss scheduling, conflicts, and fee arrangements. John serves both as a private neutral by agreement of the parties and as a court-appointed neutral in matters referred by the state and federal courts.
Patrick A. Foley also accepts receivership appointments, with a particular focus on business receiverships and matters with a significant financial or operational complexity. Patrick has represented receivers in federal bankruptcy matters and served as counsel in receivership estates since early in his career.
The firm handles new matters on a consultative basis. Call the office, or reach us through the contact form on our main page.