Courtney is the CEO and Conflict Resolution Specialist at Courtney Anne Chicvak Mediation LLC, a Long Island-based alternative dispute resolution (ADR) firm dedicated to promoting peace within families and the Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution at Long Island Dispute Resolution Centers (EAC Network).
As an International Mediation Institute (IMI) Certified Mediator, Courtney has used the facilitative and transformative mediation models during hundreds of disputes to support difficult conversations, to inspire understanding, and to empower participants to discover pathways to their own resolutions.
Her mediation experience includes commercial, civil, employment, workplace, personal injury, community, special education, housing (residential landlord-tenant), intellectual property, co-parenting (custody & visitation), divorce, adult family, trusts and estates, and pet disputes. She mediates in several settings: community dispute resolution centers, the New York State Unified Court System, a non-profit organization and private mediation practice.
An experienced educator, Courtney teaches students conflict resolution, negotiation, mediation, argumentation, and advocacy courses as a Lecturer at Columbia University, an Online Adjunct Instructor at Grand Canyon University, Abilene Christian University, and the Indian Institute of Management – Rohtak.
As a Negotiation Coach at the Women In Negotiation (WIN) Summit organization, she educates women on negotiating deals and reaching agreements. In addition, she works as a Conflict Resolution Coach at Stanford Law School, the University of California Hastings College of the Law, and Hitotsubashi University in collaboration with the Global Network for Advanced Management and the Yale School of Management, teaching professionals and students how to communicate effectively and facilitate the resolution of disputes.
Courtney has been appointed to the Fulbright Specialist program roster through the U.S. Department of State, and she researches, presents, and publishes internationally on alternative dispute resolution and law applied to community and organizational topics. Furthermore, she serves in leadership roles in various professional organizations and contributes to her community regularly through volunteering.
An attorney in New York, Courtney is a graduate of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Master’s Program at Columbia University, and St. John’s University School of Law.
Using contemporary approaches, Courtney facilitates conversations between participants when there is a disagreement stemming from their relationship. From her experiences, she has discovered that building and maintaining positive relationships are more of an art than science, but one great takeaway is the importance of the resolution of disputes. Mediation presents a new and safe environment for participants to diverge from default patterns to achieve creative solutions particular to their needs using a collaborative approach to resolution. Courtney is trained as both a facilitative and transformative mediator.
