Principles and Values on Impartiality

Kearns & West helps groups of people with diverse interests work collaboratively to make decisions that solve problems, attain goals and resolve differences. Our collaboration work includes stakeholder and issues assessments, facilitation, mediation, process design and training. We are engaged directly by public and private clients, appointed by courts, or selected by stakeholder groups.

We know our collaboration work is only successful because we remain impartial on the subject matter, the participants, and their interests and positions and focus exclusively on information quality, exchange and the decision making process.

Following are Kearns & West’s principles and values associated with our collaboration assignments:

  • We are impartial and do not take positions on projects, policies, or law.
  • We review each project and accept only those whose participants understand and accept our impartial role.
  • We do not accept projects with which we might have a conflict of interest.
  • We work with organizations genuinely committed to the collaborative processes they establish.
  • We work with all sectors: tribes, federal, state and local government; private companies; other non-governmental organizations, and individuals.
  • We maintain confidentiality unless otherwise agreed to by the participants.

If you have a question about Kearns & West’s role on a collaborative project, please feel free to contact either the mediator involved or a principal of the firm for more information.