American resolution

With more than 3,000 miles separating them, it was unlikely Burton Wiand and Cameron Stout would ever cross paths.

Yet it happened nearly 20 years ago. Wiand, a longtime Florida attorney, represented a brokerage client locally in an arbitration case. Stout, who has always practiced law in northern California, represented the firm at the corporate level. “We were lucky enough to get a win out of it, but even luckier because it turned into a lifelong friendship,” says Stout.

Earlier this year the pair turned the friendship into a business, with a venture that aims to capitalize on the growing court mediation and arbitration field.