Amy L. Van Horne

Recognition:

  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Mediation, 2024
  • Chambers USA 2023, Litigation: Mediators - Nebraska
  • 2023 Robert M. Spire Award
  • Nebraska State Bar Association Outstanding Contributor to Women in the Law (2020)
  • National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, first woman in Nebraska invited to join (2017)
  • American Academy of ADR Attorneys, certified mediator
  • Super Lawyers®, 2019-2023
  • Benchmark Litigation, Top 250 Women in Litigation (2013)
  • The Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award (1999)
 

Why Mediate?

Most large, national law firms do not formally offer mediation-as-neutral services because the process can negatively impact their litigation revenues. However, Kutak Rock has found mediation services to be a natural expansion of its mission to provide excellent legal and client services at extremely reasonable rates.

While Kutak Rock litigators regularly represent their clients in mediations, a select group of attorneys comprise Kutak Rock’s Mediation Neutrals Group. They are trained to assist parties in reaching a mutually acceptable resolution of their dispute. The mediators are impartial, neutral and unbiased and make no decisions for the parties. The mediators do not provide legal advice or counsel.

Mediation is a personal, interactive, problem-solving method used to improve understanding and resolve problems in the most beneficial way for everyone involved. Emphasis is placed on all parties involved being heard and understood, and the process is private, confidential and considerably less expensive than protracted litigation.

Benefits to mediation include improved communication, the use of constructive problem-solving, control over the outcome, a collaborative resolution and, therefore, increased likelihood of follow-through. Additionally, mediation makes business sense, given that its cost is substantially less than that of extended litigation.

The mediation facilitator is an impartial, neutral and unbiased third party who assists all participants with communicating perspectives clearly, clarifying issues, exploring options and reaching and implementing agreements, if possible. The facilitator controls the process, not the content, and has no authority to make a judgment or influence any decision. Sessions are bound by statutory confidentiality provisions unless subject to open meetings law.