Solomon Int'l Dispute Resolution Center
Mediation, Arbitration, Conciliation
We live up to our name!
Biography of Founder, Lee Solomon
Lee Solomon has an unusual blend of business and legal knowledge and skill. Accomplished in both business and law, he quickly gains the confidence of executives, attorneys, and other participants in dispute resolution proceedings. Mr. Solomon is equally qualified and adept for serving as a mediator or as an arbitrator, or helping parties through a conciliation or negotiation process.
In a mediation process, for example, he is capable of helping the parties by developing an understanding of their respective issues. He can then help them define legal and business risks, and help them achieve business and other goals without incurring the expense and risk of going to trial. When asked to serve as an arbitrator of disputes, he is very capable of understanding the issues and reaching a just decision based on the facts and the law.
Companies with which Mr. Solomon works quickly learn and appreciate that he is adept at gathering and assimilating information, analyzing complicated situations, identifying risks and leverage points, and helping the disputants develop and implement an action plan to achieve a satisfactory result. Their perception of him as a fair, neutral, and knowledgeable professional helps immensely.
Mr. Solomon has assisted domestic and foreign business organizations of all sizes, and in all stages of growth, with their legal and business needs in Houston and around the nation; sometimes around the world. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies as well as middle-market and start-up companies, including many family-owned or closely held businesses. These companies have been in a very broad range of industry sectors as diverse as transportation, insurance, brokerage, technology, manufacturing, real estate, banking, finance, energy, technology, service, savings & loan, accounting, construction, shipping, engineering, retail, and more.
Many of the companies which Mr. Solomon has helped in the dispute resolution process over the years have been owned or run by citizens of other countries. He has traveled extensively and has lived abroad for long periods of time, so he is acutely aware of how cultural differences can shape and influence the manner in which disputes can be resolved. He has, in fact, written a book about cross-cultural relationships.
This book, No Price Too Great, was first published November 24, 2008. A second edition is scheduled to be released in late 2009, along with an audio version of the book. The book has received rave reviews on Amazon.com and other places from readers of many ethnicities around the world. In a February 9, 2009, five star book review that was posted on Amazon.com, Midwest Book Review described the book as being "enthralling from first page to last."
With his wife, Ping, and their teenage daughter, Angela, Mr. Solomon has homes in Guangzhou, China and Zibo City, China, as well as in Houston, Texas, USA. Ping, who works with Lee at their offices in Houston, speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, and English, as well as her home town language of Shandongese. Before marrying Lee, Ping enjoyed a successful career in commercial real estate development in China.
Mediation Style and Philosophy
Mr. Solomon's philosophy is based on his belief that parties have elected to participate in the mediation process because they want to resolve their dispute. His approach is therefore to be actively involved in helping them explore and find ways to accomplish this goal. This means that he will invite each party to discuss both the strengths and the weaknesses of their respective cases with him. These discussions will be during caucus sessions, and not in a joint session where all parties and counsel are present. He will also encourage and challenge all parties and counsel to not give up on the process until the matter is resolved or he declares an impasse.
Frankly, this style and philosophy is a result of the many frustrating mediation sessions that Mr. Solomon participated in as counsel, where he left the mediation feeling disappointed because the mediator was ineffective. Sometimes, he even felt that the mediator was an obstacle to resolving the dispute of the parties. These experiences were also a driving force in his decision to found Solomon Int'l Dispute Resolution Center.
Licenses, Certifications, and Memberships:
Professionally trained and certified as a Mediator and as an Arbitrator by the renowned A.A. White Dispute Resolution Center in Houston, Texas, USA.
Licensed and admitted to practice in the state courts of Texas and Arkansas, as well as in multiple federal courts across the nation.
Also licensed and admitted to practice in the U. S. Supreme Court.
Rated AV by his peers, which is the highest rating for professional and ethical standards, Mr. Solomon's law firm is among the top 5% of law firms in the United States that have been recognized and listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers by Martindale-Hubbell.
Member of American Immigration Lawyers Institute.
Areas of Experience:
Mediation, Arbitration, Conciliation, and Negotiation
Business & Commercial Law
Corporate Governance and other Business Organization Disputes
Contract Disputes
Deceptive Trade Practices and Fraud
Labor and Employment Law
International Law
Immigration Law
Construction Law
Bankruptcy Law and Court Proceedings
Civil and Commercial Litigation & Appeals
Bar Admissions:
Texas, 1982
Arkansas, 1981
Education:
University of Arkansas, Leflar Law Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas, December, 1980
J.D.
Honors: Summa Cum Laude (Ranked second in class)
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, June, 1978
BSBA
Honors: Summa Cum Laude (Ranked first in class)
Major: Finance
University of Houston, Houston, Texas, December, 1993
Masters in Law Courses in Environmental Law & Natural Gas Law and Policy
Major: Masters in Law
Honors and Awards:
Student Editor, Arkansas Law Review
Wall Street Journal Award to Recognize Outstanding Achievement in Finance - 1978
Senior Scholar Key (recognizing position as # 1 graduate) - 1978
National Honors and Law Fraternities:
Beta Gamma Sigma (National Honors Fraternity for Business Majors)
Sigma Iota Epsilon (National Honors Fraternity in Management)
Delta Theta Phi (National Law Fraternity. Elected Dean of Robinson Senate, 1979)
