Greg Bourgeois

Recognized by attorneys and clients alike for his fair, creative style and tenacious commitment to helping parties reach a resolution even if it means he continues to facilitate conversations between interested parties after the day of mediation. Greg’s litigation experience began in 1991 and he has worked on both sides of the docket for large corporations, small businesses, and individuals. This allows Greg to bring an acute ability to view conflict and concerns from different perspectives and to work with each party to cultivate innovative solutions.

In 2000 he acted on his vision for providing a peaceful, neutral site for the constructive resolution of disputes by co-founding The Lakeside Mediation Center. Greg and the Lakeside Mediation Center provide the full range of dispute resolution services, including mediations, arbitrations, continuing legal education seminars and consulting services. Since that time, The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has utilized Greg’s skills to help intervene at the initial stages of charges of discrimination to resolve matters prior to EEOC investigations. He has also been asked to mediate charges of discrimination filed by EEOC employees under the acclaimed RESOLVE Program.

Prior to co-founding The Lakeside Mediation Center, Greg was a lawyer in the commercial, healthcare, and employment litigation sections of Small Craig and Werkenthin, P.C. in Austin and in his own law firm. Greg earned an “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell.  Greg is a graduate of Baylor University School of Law and St. Edward’s University, magna cum laude.

He has successfully mediated disputes involving employment and wrongful termination, discrimination, and sexual harassment; commercial issues, contracts, securities, and partnership dissolution; the media; divorce and family matters; intellectual property; professional liability; environmental concerns; real estate and construction; landlord/tenant relationships; personal injury and products liability; consumer (DTPA) issues; products liability; probate; and insurance law.

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Qualifications

  • Distinguished Fellow in the International Academy of Mediators
  • Distinguished Mediator Texas Mediator Credentialing Association
  • National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
  • Perennially chosen as one of Texas Monthly´s “Super Lawyer in Mediation and Arbitration”, a distinction awarded to the top 5% of lawyers statewide
  • Austin Business Journal´s “Best of the Best in Commercial Mediation and Arbitration”
  • Past President of the Central Texas Chapter of Association of Attorney Mediators
  • Founding Member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association, a statewide initiative to develop and implement a central code of ethics, credentialing process and grievance procedure for the practice of mediation in Texas
  • Alumnus of the Attorney Mediator Institute, advanced mediator training from the Association of Attorney Mediators and family law mediator training from Ceasefire, Inc.
  • Co-Producer of and mediator in the training video, “A Guide to Mediation,” which received the 2000 Communicator
  • Award for excellence in video production related to legal services
  • Approved mediator for the U.S. District Court of Texas, Western Division

Fee Schedule

  • FULL DAY CASE – $1600.00 per party – full day in Austin or within 100 miles
  • FULL DAY CASE – $1750.00 per party – full day 100+ miles outside Austin plus travel expenses to be divided by the parties
  • FOR CASES OUTSIDE OF TEXAS – $6000.00 – full day plus travel expenses to be divided by the parties
  • FOR CASES IN LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO, NEW YORK CITY, AND CHICAGO – $7500.00 – full day plus travel expenses to be divided by the parties
  • FOR CASES OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES – $9000.00 – full day plus travel expenses to be divided by the parties
  • HALF DAY CASE – $750.00 per party – half day
  • COLLECTIVE OR CLASS FLSA MEDIATIONS – $3500.00 per party plus travel expenses if outside Austin
  • FULL DAY ARBITRATION – $5000.00 – full day plus $500.00 per hour for additional work to be divided by the parties

A full day is an eight (8) hour mediation session.  All hours after 8 hours are billed at $350.00 per hour and divided equally by the parties.

Travel time, as with travel expenses, shall be divided between the parties and shall be billed after the mediation session.

CANCELLATION FEE
After a mediation or arbitration is scheduled and notices of the mediation are sent, no cancellation fee shall be charged if the mediation is cancelled FOURTEEN (14) days from the date scheduled for mediation or THIRTY (30) days from the first date scheduled for arbitration. Such cancellation must be in writing.  If the mediation is cancelled within 14 days of the date set for mediation or 30 days of the first date set for arbitration, a cancellation fee of 50% of the daily rate per party shall be charged to each party. If the mediation is cancelled within 2 business days of the scheduled mediation date, a full mediation fee is charged to each party.  The mediator may excuse the cancellation fee if the cancellation is due to medical reasons, court intervention, or an event beyond the parties’ control.

REVIEWING PRE-MEDIATION SUBMISSIONS
The daily rate charged each party includes up to two (2) hours per party for reviewing pre-mediation submissions.  All reading time beyond 2 hours shall be charged to that party at $250.00 per hour and shall be billed with the expense invoice after the mediation.

“ROCKET DOCKET” MEDIATION
The Lakeside Mediation Center’s Rocket Docket Program is designed to provide an alternative means of resolving those disputes with lower amounts in controversy, which were heretofore referred to settlement week for mediation.  For those cases that meet the Rocket Docket Profile, Greg will offer a two-hour mediation at a reduced rate of $500 per party. The submission will be simplified, and the mediation position submissions may be made via e-mail.  Parties with multiple cases may schedule up to three different cases on the same day in order to maximize the benefits of the Rocket Docket Program. Greg Bourgeois only offers the Rocket Docket mediation from 7:00-9:00 a.m. or 5:00-7:00 p.m.

FOLLOW-UP AFTER THE MEDIATION SESSION
All post-session follow-up shall be charged at $300.00 per hour and divided equally by the parties.

SCHEDULING MULTIPLE-DAY MEDIATIONS
Should the parties schedule two or more days of mediation, the parties shall be responsible for the entirety of their portion of the mediation fee for all days reserved, regardless of the length of the mediation session. The cancellation or rescheduling fee described above shall apply to the fee for the total number of days reserved.

FACILITY FEES AND LUNCHES
No additional fees are charged for mediations held at the Lakeside Mediation Center.  The mediator shall provide a lunch at no additional cost for all mediations held at Lakeside Mediation Center.  The parties shall be responsible for all facility costs for mediations not held at Lakeside Mediation Center and shall be responsible for all costs associated with lunch, food and beverages for mediations not held at Lakeside Mediation Center.

HOLDING DATES
A party may request to hold a mediation date.  Such requested holds shall be honored for forty-eight (48) hours from the time of the request.  Should such date not be confirmed within 48 hours, the requested date may be given to other parties requesting the date.

Teaching

Greg enjoys teaching alternative dispute resolution and is a popular speaker and author because of his personable, understandable approach. Among other engagements, he has served as an:

  • Adjunct Professor at Southwest Texas University in its American Bar Association-accredited graduate program
  • Guest lecturer at Baylor University School of Law, “Successfully Mediating Your Employment Law Case”
  • Guest Trainer in conflict resolution for leadership academy of Baylor College of Medicine.
  • Speaker at State Bar of Texas CLE Seminar, “Ethical Issues for Advocates in Mediation”
  • Speaker at Labor and Employment Law Section, State Bar of Texas CLE Seminar, “More Effective Advocacy in Mediation”
  • Speaker at College of the State Bar of Texas CLE Seminar, “Strategies for Dealing with Difficult Emotions in Mediation”
  • Speaker at Annual Conference of the State Bar of Texas CLE Seminar, “25 Ways to Torpedo Your Mediation”
  • Speaker at Travis Country Bar Association CLE Seminar, “25 Ways to Torpedo Your Mediation”
  • Speaker at St. Edward’s University Business Associates Seminar, “Reducing the Cost of Conflict”
  • Panelist on the Texas Association of Mediators CLE Seminar, “Mediation of Employment Disputes from Both Sides of the Table”
  • Author of the article “Alternative Dispute Resolution with State Agencies,” published in the Austin Business Journal
  • Chairman and moderator of the alternative dispute resolution program for the Travis County Bench/Bar Conference, “Expanding the Use of and Examining the Ethical Issues in ADR”