Mediation · Dispute Review Boards · Umpire

Neutral resolution for complex projects and claims.

DouglasMason LLC provides mediation, dispute resolution board service, and umpire appointments — independent, practical, and built to keep projects and relationships moving forward.

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Services

Three ways to get a dispute settled.

01

Mediation

Confidential, facilitated negotiation that puts decision-making back in the parties' hands.

  • Construction & contract disputes
  • Commercial and business matters
  • Pre-suit and court-referred sessions
  • In-person or virtual
02

Dispute Resolution Boards

A standing panel that follows the project from day one, so issues are resolved in real time — not years later.

  • DRB member or chair
  • Regular site visits & hearings
  • Advisory or binding recommendations
  • Infrastructure & capital programs
03

Umpire Services

Independent umpire appointments for appraisal and valuation deadlocks under policy or contract.

  • Property & casualty appraisal
  • Scope and cost differences
  • Written, reasoned awards
  • Prompt scheduling

Approach

Prepared, neutral, and fast to schedule.

Disputes cost more the longer they sit. Every engagement starts with the documents and the timeline, then moves quickly to the handful of issues that actually decide the outcome. Parties get a neutral who has read the file, understands how projects and organizations really work, and keeps sessions focused on a resolution both sides can live with.

Read the file firstPositions, exposure, and pressure points identified before we sit down.
Plain-language processClear ground rules, no procedural surprises.
Durable outcomesAgreements written so they hold up after everyone leaves the room.

About

Leadership experience on both sides of the table.

Stephen Mason

Stephen Mason, MBA
Principal

DouglasMason LLC is led by Stephen Mason, a certified dispute resolution professional whose career spans public leadership and business operations. He serves as Mayor of Cedar Hill, Texas and as Chair of the Regional Transportation Council at the North Central Texas Council of Governments, where he has guided multi-billion-dollar infrastructure decisions among agencies, contractors, and communities with competing interests.

He is also principal of Mas-Tek Engineering, a geotechnical and construction materials testing firm. That means the technical questions at the center of most construction disputes — soils, foundations, compaction, concrete and asphalt testing, failed materials, differing site conditions — are not new territory that has to be explained to the neutral.

Public policy, capital projects, engineering practice, and private-sector operations — that is what parties get in the room: a neutral who understands the technical realities, the budget constraints, and the politics of getting to yes.

Credentials

Trained, qualified, and court-ready.

40-Hour General Mediation Training (2024)Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery County, Inc. Meets the qualification requirements of the Texas Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedures Act, Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §154.052.
State Bar of Texas Approved CourseCourse No. 174209742 — 38.75 accredited CLE hours, including 4.0 hours of ethics.
Observed MediationsMore than ten mediations observed through the Dallas County Dispute Resolution Center.
Service as Umpire and on Dispute Review BoardsIndependent appointments drawing on decades of construction, geotechnical, and capital-project experience.
Master of Business AdministrationBusiness and operations grounding applied to damages, scope, and cost disputes.

Contact

Check availability or request a case evaluation.

Send a short description of the matter, the parties involved, and your preferred timeframe.

info@douglasmasonllc.com

(469) 446-0530

DouglasMason LLC · Dallas, Texas · Serving the DFW Metroplex and statewide, in person or virtually.