Our Practice Model

How We Work

Neutral Ground Partners is built around a deliberate practice model: we work with both employer clients and individual employees who reach out independently for confidential guidance. This page explains how we manage that dual practice and what it means for everyone we work with.

For Employer Clients

If You Are an Employer Client

When you engage Neutral Ground Partners, your relationship is governed by a written agreement that defines the scope of services, fees, and confidentiality protections. Within that engagement, you have our full commitment to support your business.

We are also transparent about the fact that our practice serves individual employees, former employees, and applicants who reach out to us directly for confidential guidance. This is core to who we are and why our work is effective. Two acknowledgments come with that:

We will not disclose to you the identity of, or our communications with, any individual who has approached us for confidential support, except with that individual's consent or where required by law.
If a material conflict of interest arises between an employer engagement and an individual matter, we will step back from one side rather than try to work both. That can mean declining work for you, or declining to advise an individual. Our written agreement with you acknowledges this in advance.

This is not a limitation. It is what makes the work credible. A practice that cannot keep an employee's confidence cannot earn an employee's trust, and a practice that cannot manage conflicts cannot be trusted by employers either.

For Employees, Former Employees & Applicants

If You Are an Employee, Former Employee, or Applicant

When you reach out to Neutral Ground Partners for confidential guidance, your communication is treated as confidential. We will not share your identity, the fact of your contact, or the content of our conversations with your employer or former employer, with these limited exceptions:

With your express written consent.
Where required by law, court order, or governmental authority.
Where we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to prevent imminent risk of physical harm.

You should understand that this confidentiality is professional, not legal. Communications with us are not protected by attorney-client privilege, and we are not your lawyer. If your situation may involve legal action or you want a privileged relationship, we will help you understand the difference and may refer you to qualified counsel.

If your employer is also a client of ours, we will assess whether a conflict exists before going further. In some cases, we will decline to engage on a specific matter and direct you to other resources.

Plain Language

What Neutral Ground Partners Is Not

To be clear about what you are getting and what you are not:

Not a Law Office

We do not provide legal advice. Communications with us are not privileged.

Not a Substitute for Legal Counsel

We will tell you when an issue should go to a lawyer, and we work alongside attorneys when that is the right answer.

Not an Advocacy Organization or Labor Union

We support individuals in navigating their own workplace situations; we do not collectively bargain or represent employees in formal proceedings.

Not Anonymous

Every engagement, on either side, comes with clear identification of who we are working with.

Our Protocol

How We Handle Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest in dual-audience practices are real, and we manage them deliberately. When an individual reaches out to us about a matter that involves an employer who is also a client, we apply the following protocol:

We assess whether the matter creates a material conflict between our obligations to the employer client and the individual seeking guidance.
If a material conflict exists, we do one of three things: decline to engage with the individual on that matter; pause or limit the related work for the employer to the extent needed to avoid the conflict; or, in narrow circumstances, seek written informed consent from both sides to continue with appropriate informational separations.
The default in cases of genuine conflict is to decline one side rather than try to manage both. We have no incentive to keep both engagements open if doing so compromises our work.