Two roommates moving in together
- How are shared costs split, and when are they paid?
- What counts as a guest versus someone living here?
- How much notice before someone moves out?
Agreement Design
Get clear before assumptions become conflict.
Agreement Design helps people intentionally create expectations around responsibilities, communication, boundaries, money, decision-making, and how future disagreements will be handled.
Is this for you?
For people who share responsibilities, decisions, money, or space.
- Business partners
- Co-founders
- Roommates
- Families
- Teams
- Organizations
- Shared projects
- Shared financial responsibilities
What we help you clarify
Clarify the issues that often create conflict.
You choose what matters. Most groups work through six to eight of these.
- Responsibilities
- Money
- Decision-making
- Communication
- Boundaries
- Availability
- Shared property
- Accountability
- Changes
- Conflict process
- Exit expectations
- Future review
What happens next
A guided conversation that turns assumptions into clear expectations.
- 01
Identify the relationship or arrangement
Who is involved, and what are you actually sharing?
- 02
Surface assumptions and expectations
Most conflict starts with something everyone assumed was obvious.
- 03
Discuss areas that often create conflict
Money, effort, time, decisions, and what happens when someone is unhappy.
- 04
Create shared language
Plain sentences everyone can repeat back the same way.
- 05
Document the framework
A written summary of what you agreed to discuss and uphold.
- 06
Decide when to revisit it
Arrangements change. Build the check-in before you need it.
Important legal distinction
A clear framework can support a relationship. Legal agreements may still require an attorney.
Edgewater Mediation Group can help people clarify expectations and create discussion frameworks. We do not provide legal advice or guarantee that a document is legally enforceable.
If you need a formal contract, partnership agreement, lease, operating agreement, or other legal document, you may want a licensed attorney to prepare or review it.
Edgewater Mediation Group LLC is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Services do not create an attorney-client relationship.
Examples
What this looks like in real life.
Four common arrangements and the questions we'd work through together.
Two friends starting a business
- Who decides what, and what needs both of you?
- How is money taken out of the business?
- What happens if one of you wants out?
Family members sharing caregiving
- Who covers which days, and who arranges backup?
- How are expenses tracked and shared?
- How do we raise it when someone feels it's uneven?
A small organization clarifying leadership roles
- Which decisions belong to which role?
- How are disagreements between leads handled?
- How often are roles reviewed?
FAQ
Questions people ask.
How we work
A process built around clarity, neutrality, and choice.
The process is explained first
Before anything begins, you know what the steps are, who is involved, and what happens next.
Participation is voluntary
Where a process depends on both sides — like mediation — no one is required to continue.
Confidentiality is discussed up front
Expectations about privacy are talked through with everyone before a mediation session begins.
Neutral facilitation
A mediator does not take sides and does not decide who is right or wrong.
Plain-language communication
No jargon. If something is unclear, we explain it in ordinary words.
No legal advice
Edgewater Mediation Group LLC is not a law firm. We do not advise you on the law or represent you.
Edgewater Mediation Group LLC is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Services do not create an attorney-client relationship.
Use these with it
Tools, guides, and next steps.
Free worksheets you can fill out today, plain-language guides, and the other paths available if this one is not the fit.
If a live disagreement surfaces
Sometimes clarifying expectations uncovers a conflict that already exists. Mediation is built for that.
Explore that insteadFrom Resolve with Jonathan
Not sure this is the right path?
Answer a few plain-language questions and we’ll point you somewhere useful.
Take the next step
Clarity now can prevent conflict later.
Bring the relationship or arrangement. We'll help you put words to what everyone is assuming.
Private. Practical. No legal jargon required.