Professional Conflict Resolution


IMPORTANT INFORMATION PER COVID-19: The Community Boards office is closed for unscheduled walk-ins and in-person services until further notice. We are continuing to provide services remotely on Zoom at this time, with some options for in-person mediations. For in-person mediations, people will need to be vaccinated and wear masks.


Community Boards’ Professional Conflict Resolution Services

Our professional mediation and facilitation services have two primary goals: 1) repairing valuable customer, vendor, investment, and working relationships while 2) helping the involved parties reach their own agreements and settlements.

Our professional mediation services are a perfect fit for independent contractors, small businesses, tech startups, property managers, homeowner associations, and nonprofit organizations.

Primary Contact

Sarah Moss, Mediation and Training Coordinator
smoss@communityboards.org

Contact Information

Monday-Thursday | 10:00am – 5:00pm (currently suspended)
Walk-in Hours: (currently suspended)

Phone: (415) 920-3820 x100 (Messages are monitored daily)
General inquiries: jgarrison@communityboards.org

Online Request Form


What Is Mediation?

Going to court is not the only answer for resolving a dispute. Mediation will save time, reduce expenses, and minimize the stress of potential legal action. Mediation is an opportunity to have a civil, structured discussion of a shared problem or conflict.  As neutral parties, the mediators guide this meeting, asking questions and enforcing ground rules. They don’t judge, weigh evidence, or deliver a verdict.

The ultimate goal of any mediation is for the parties, themselves, to create their own workable agreement.  This agreement helps resolve the current issues, while attempting to minimize possible future disputes. By trying mediation first, parties reduce the need for any possible future litigation.

Please note:   Community Boards is prohibited from providing legal advice or counsel.  To make certain that you fully understand your legal rights and responsibilities, we recommend that you seek legal council where appropriate.

How Our Process Works

  1. You contact us for an initial consultation. We will assess your situation and how best to help.
  2. If mediation is appropriate, you give us the contact information of those involved and pay the $70 case opening fee.
  3. We then invite the other person(s) to a mediation and address their questions and concerns.
  4. When all parties agree, we schedule a convenient time for the mediation with three of our mediators.
  5. During the mediation, everyone is given time to speak in a structured and supportive environment.
  6. If new understandings and agreements are reached, the mediators will help you put them in writing.

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 Contractual & business disputes we can assist with:

  • Customer/merchant complaints
  • Business owner/vendor disputes
  • Business partner disagreements
  • Purchase agreements
  • Condo, TIC & homeowner association disputes
  • SF Planning Department discretionary reviews
  • Property line disputes
  • Construction defects
  • Property damage
  • Landscape & architectural plans
  • Insurance/personal injury
  • Probate & trust

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Logistics & Costs

Getting Started (Call back messages are being monitored daily)
You can telephone our office Mondays through Thursdays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at (415) 920-3820.  You can leave a call back message at extension 100.  Please just leave your name and telephone number.

You can also complete and submit our online request form below at “Click here to Start a Mediation.”

Mediations are scheduled at all parties’ convenience: Mondays through Saturdays — mornings, afternoons or early evenings.

Cost: We charge a $70 case opening fee for our business, contract and property dispute resolution services, with the additional cost of $180/hour for the mediations themselves.

While most mediations take approximately 3 hours, we do bill for a minimum of 2 hours.  Additional mediation sessions can be scheduled, if needed.

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