Standards
A dispute practice is trusted for what it refuses to do. These standards are public so that a client, counterparty, counsel or institution can examine them before engaging with us.
Where Balanscale acts as mediator, it has no interest in the outcome and no loyalty to any party. Where Balanscale advises or represents one party, that role is declared plainly to every relevant participant. A mandate never changes character without written agreement and disclosure.
A conflicts check is conducted before any mandate is accepted and revisited when relevant participants change. Any actual or potential conflict is disclosed. Where it cannot be managed with informed agreement, Balanscale declines or withdraws.
Client identities, matters, documents, discussions, amounts and outcomes are not published or used as credentials without express authorisation. The exact legal perimeter of confidentiality is defined for each mandate and coordinated with counsel where appropriate.
Fees, expenses and any outcome-related component are agreed in writing before work starts. The structure must be compatible with the role declared to participants and must not compromise independence, professional judgment or informed consent.
Balanscale does not provide legal advice, practise law or replace counsel. It will say when litigation, an urgent protective measure or specialist legal advice is required, including when that conclusion limits or ends its own role.
Information is requested on a need-to-know basis and access is limited to the engagement team. Technology may assist organisation and analysis; professional judgment and responsibility remain human. Sensitive channels and document protocols are agreed for each mandate.
Balanscale does not assume that a participant has authority to bind an organisation or institution. Decision rights, reporting lines and required approvals are mapped early. No settlement is presented as concluded until the competent principals have consented in the required form.
Balanscale may decline or end a mandate that lacks a legitimate purpose, informed participation, adequate authority or a realistic path to constructive movement. It will not assist intimidation, concealment, delay for its own sake or the manufacture of a misleading record.
The contracting entity
BALANSCALE MEDIATION & ARBITRAGE is a French single-shareholder simplified joint-stock company (SASU) with share capital of €100,000, registered with the Paris Trade and Companies Register under number 929 895 340.
Registered office: 49 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris, France. Mandates are governed by their written engagement terms.
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