Online Mediation is available by Zoom. You can resolve disputes from the safety of your home, from anywhere in the world. Please contact us for details.
Disputes are uncomfortable — very often painful — and will consume your energy voraciously. As a skillful and experienced mediator, Brian can help you come to an acceptable solution efficiently, cost-effectively, and as comfortably as possible. He will help you discuss and resolve your divorce, parenting plans, business/partnership dissolution, business-consumer, and neighborhood disputes in a patient yet practical manner. He will partner with your attorney(s) to ensure that the solutions are legally acceptable and can be submitted to the courts, at lower cost to you than using the attorney(s) alone.
In 1999, Brian founded Clarity Mediation and Facilitation LLC, a consulting practice specializing in conflict resolution and facilitation of organizational change events and processes.
During 26 years with Hewlett-Packard, Brian managed engineering groups for over two decades, also working as an organization development consultant and facilitator. This experience provided extensive insight into how people work together to solve problems; it helped Brian refine both his interpersonal facilitation skills and his problem-solving processes.
Brian has mediated over 3000 family, business, interpersonal, small claims court, and other cases since 2001, including international disputes. He has been a securities Arbitrator for FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) since 2008. In addition to his professional practice, he is a volunteer mediator with Neighbor-to-Neighbor Mediation Service and is a former member of their board.
Brian currently serves on the Board of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators, and is a non-executive director of Direct Mediation Services in the UK. He is a former president of the Oregon Mediation Association (OMA), and received OMA’s Spirit of Mediation Award in 2019. He is a member of the World Mediation Association and the International Association of Facilitators.
Brian is the proud father of a gay son, and a seven-year Vietnam-era veteran of the US Air Force.
Brian’s primary focus is in getting past the placing of blame so that both parties can concentrate on creating a solution. This often involves getting the parties to truly listen to each other, then trying to get them to understand each others’ true interests. Brian is very skilled at knowing when things are being withheld and when miscommunication has occurred.
From a process standpoint, he will get all issues on the table, and then will subdivide big problems into smaller, easier-to-solve ones. Brian’s engineering background is well balanced by his empathy and people skills, so results and feelings are both considered.
As a non-attorney mediator, Brian works in synergy with the parties’ attorneys. He is skilled in recognizing when questions or issues require an attorney’s involvement, and is careful to refer the parties to their respective attorneys for personalized advice and actions.
Fees are based on the type of case, and can be adjusted depending on the circumstances of the parties:
Special rates apply to clients referred by the CLC-managed Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
A sliding scale may be applied to certain cases with demonstrated need.
