Method
The principles, with the direct evidence.
People come here when they want the dispute handled in private, from the papers, without hiring a law firm to do it. That is allowed. Mediation does not require a lawyer in the room. It also does not require us to pretend the room is a court.
What a private counterclaim is
It is your written response inside this mediation. It states facts you can prove, the legal principle those facts actually fit, the part that is yours, and a private remedy both people could perform. It is shown to the other person. It is not filed. It has no force by itself. It becomes a resolution only if they accept it.
What it is not
- It is not a lawsuit, a lien, a UCC stunt, or a form that “discharges” a debt because you declared it.
- It is not an argument that a court has no jurisdiction over you.
- It is not legal advice, and it is not representation if you are already in a case.
- It is not a promise. If the other person refuses, or if you refuse to face your own conduct, there is no success to announce.
The order of work
- 01
Attitude, first
You answer, in writing, whether you will put your own breach on the page. The 47 paused files are people who would not. We publish that number so the 588 cannot be mistaken for everyone who asked.
- 02
An evidence index, not a highlight reel
The full message thread. The payments. The photos. The page you signed. Documents that hurt you stay in the index. A memory of a document is a task, not an exhibit.
- 03
Research, with the limit attached
We identify the doctrine the papers support — assent, consideration, mitigation, offset, a writing, clean hands — and we copy what that doctrine will not do. Research is not a costume for a conclusion you already wanted.
- 04
The counterclaim, written to be read by the other person
Numbered facts. Exhibit cites. Your own part. A remedy with dates and amounts. No caption pretending to be a court. You can draft the skeleton on this desk and keep it on your own device.
- 05
Their correction
They may fix a fact, add an exhibit, or reject the remedy. A correction that is documented changes the draft. Pride does not.
- 06
Signature or a clean stop
A resolution says what will be done, by when, and what is released. If there is no signature, the file is paused, partial, or withdrawn. Those words stay on the record.
Who this is for
Private contracts. Loans between people. Deposits. Neighbor damage. A boundary you are willing to leave on the deed and solve in writing. Partnership books. Final wages. Adult family property. Repair bills. Shared household money. Not custody. Not a criminal charge. Not a foreclosure you hope to erase with a paragraph. If a court, an agency, or a licensed lawyer is the right tool, we will say so and step back — eighteen files withdrew for that reason, and they are not in the 588.