I am passionate about mediation because it works. Not only does it cost less than going to court, but you, the clients, are in control of the process and the outcome. You engage in constructive problem-solving that maximizes each person’s satisfaction. Mediation is private and confidential. And it honors relationships among family members, in the community, and among business associates.
I am a former litigation attorney and, despite my best efforts to resolve matters amicably, I also had the painful experience of having to sue my former law partner to enforce our partnership agreement. So, I know, first-hand, just how disempowering, expensive, and time consuming it can be to resolve conflict through the courts. And I also know how limited the options available in court are. So, I transitioned from “gladiator” to “facilitator,” and I have spent the last 25 years as a mediator, helping clients to resolve their disputes with creative solutions that give each person more of what’s important to him/her, while tailoring the result to the unique needs of the parties.
I am a former New York litigator, who became a committed collaborative attorney and mediator; having moved to California, I am continuing to practice as a mediator.
I have been a mediator for more than 15 years. I have extensive training and experience in both the Transformative approach and the Understanding Based method. While mediating in New York, I was Accredited as a Divorce Mediator by the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation.
My goal is to resolve conflict by moving beyond the “zero sum game” to finding solutions that serve as many needs and interests of each party as possible. I do this by striving to understand each client’s underlying needs, interests, and motivations, and to help each client understand those of the other person. In this way, we can find ways to enlarge the pie and allow each person to gain as much of what is important to him/her as possible.
J.D., George Washington University
B.A. Case Western Reserve University
