Steven Corn

Steven Corn

Maryland Court Roster Mediator | Family, Business, Entertainment & Intellectual Property Mediator

Rockville, Maryland | Serving Clients Throughout Maryland
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Steven Corn is a Maryland Court Roster Mediator and founder of Metis Mediation Services, bringing more than 35 years of high-level negotiation and business affairs experience to the mediation table. Before entering the field of alternative dispute resolution, Steven built a distinguished career in the music and entertainment industry, where he negotiated thousands of complex agreements involving artists, record labels, publishers, distributors, licensing, royalties, copyrights, and intellectual property rights.
Unlike many mediators whose experience is rooted exclusively in litigation, Steven spent decades helping parties reach successful business agreements in industries where preserving long-term relationships was often just as important as achieving favorable economic results. Today, he combines that executive negotiation background with formal mediation training to help families, businesses, creative professionals, and organizations resolve disputes efficiently, respectfully, and without unnecessary litigation.
Based in Rockville, Steven provides mediation services throughout Maryland, including Montgomery, Frederick, Howard, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and surrounding counties.
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Mediation Philosophy

Steven's practice is grounded in transformative mediation, an approach that recognizes that lasting resolutions are built through better communication, informed decision-making, and mutual understanding rather than imposed outcomes.

His role is not to decide who is right or wrong. Instead, he helps participants identify the underlying interests driving the conflict, improve communication, evaluate available options, and create agreements that they design themselves.

Clients appreciate Steven's calm, thoughtful style and his ability to balance practical problem-solving with genuine empathy. Whether resolving a family disagreement or a complex commercial dispute, he focuses on helping parties move beyond positions and toward durable solutions that preserve important personal and professional relationships.
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Executive Negotiation Experience

Long before becoming a mediator, Steven was resolving difficult negotiations.

During more than three decades in the music industry, he negotiated thousands of agreements involving:
• Recording artists and managers
• Record labels
• Music publishers
• Copyright licensing
• Digital distribution
• Royalty administration
• Catalog acquisitions and valuations
• Producer and songwriter agreements
• Intellectual property rights
• Entertainment and media contracts

His executive career included leadership positions in music publishing, business affairs, licensing, distribution, and catalog management. He also served as CEO of an award-winning jazz record label whose artists collectively earned five Grammy® Awards and seventeen Grammy® nominations, and co-founded one of the early independent digital music distribution companies serving hundreds of content owners worldwide.

This extensive background gives Steven uncommon insight into both the business and relationship dynamics that often determine whether negotiations succeed or fail.
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Family Mediation

Family mediation is one of Steven's primary practice areas.

He helps families resolve divorce, parenting, custody, visitation, co-parenting, and other family disputes through a respectful, collaborative process designed to reduce conflict rather than intensify it.

Steven understands that family disputes are rarely driven solely by legal issues. By helping participants communicate more effectively and better understand one another's concerns, he assists families in developing practical agreements that support long-term stability while keeping decision-making in the hands of the people most affected.
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Entertainment & Intellectual Property Mediation

Steven is among the few mediators in Maryland with extensive executive-level experience inside the entertainment industry.

His background enables him to understand not only contracts and intellectual property rights, but also the creative and business relationships that often shape disputes involving artists, managers, publishers, producers, labels, and media companies.

His mediation practice includes matters involving:
• Artist and Manager Agreements
• Record Label Disputes
• Music Publishing Agreements
• Copyright & Intellectual Property
• Royalty Accounting Disputes
• Producer & Songwriter Agreements
• Catalog Ownership & Valuation
• Licensing & Distribution Agreements
• Sync Licensing
• Name, Image & Likeness (NIL)
• Band Partnership Disputes
• Entertainment Contract Disputes

Because many entertainment conflicts involve continuing professional relationships, Steven focuses on helping parties preserve future opportunities while resolving current disagreements.
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Business & Community Disputes

Steven also mediates a broad range of civil and commercial matters, including:
• Business and Partnership Disputes
• Contract Disputes
• Healthcare Conflicts
• Patient Advocacy Matters
• HOA & Community Association Disputes
• Landlord-Tenant Matters
• Real Estate Disputes
• Workplace and Organizational Conflicts

His decades of executive leadership allow him to quickly understand both the legal and practical considerations that influence successful business negotiations.
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Professional Credentials

Steven serves on multiple Maryland court mediation rosters and is accredited by the Maryland Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution (OADR). He actively participates in several leading dispute resolution organizations, including:
• Maryland District Court Roster Mediator
• Maryland Circuit Court Roster Mediator
• Maryland Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County
• Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence
• Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution
• American Bar Association – Section of Dispute Resolution
• Southern California Mediation Association

Steven is also a Board Certified Independent Patient Advocate, providing additional perspective in disputes involving healthcare providers, patients, families, and medical decision-making.
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Why Parties Choose Steven Corn

Steven brings something uncommon to mediation: a career built on successfully negotiating high-value agreements long before he became a professional mediator.

Having spent decades resolving disputes where business interests, creative rights, financial issues, and long-term relationships intersected, he understands that the most effective resolutions address both the practical issues and the human dynamics underlying conflict.

Whether assisting divorcing spouses, business owners, artists, neighbors, or organizations, Steven provides a confidential, impartial, and client-centered process focused on helping parties make informed decisions and move forward with confidence.
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