September 17, 2012
Conflict: Part of the Human Experience
We often think of mediation as an environment in which the mediator is a preternaturally peaceful person and the clients are kind to each other...
June 18, 2012
Strategic Negotiating: Is There Room For ‘I’m Sorry?’
It’s commonplace for one of my clients to say to another, “You should be sorry, you should tell me you’re sorry for what’s happening.” And...
April 10, 2012
Intention v. Impact: Communicating Via Email
It’s not uncommon at the beginning of a mediation process for people to choose as one of their process rules, “No substantive emails.” When I...
March 08, 2012
Mediation: The Benefits of Putting All Your Cards on the Table
Mediation is a transparent process, which means clients are required to share information relevant to the matter at hand—simply, informally, and relatively quickly. In contrast,...
January 20, 2012
The Evolving Role of the Family Relations Specialist in Mediation
Back in the 90s, there was a movement in the dispute resolution community to merge legal and mental health services into one mediation process. I’ve...
October 19, 2011
Choosing To Mediate: Can You Focus On The Big Picture?
When people call my office for a free 15-minute phone consultation, they commonly ask, “Are we good candidates for mediation?” And often my response is:...
August 28, 2011
Professional Fees: Managing the Cost of Divorce
There are many elements we can focus on in analyzing the cost of divorce, but I’m writing to offer some thoughts on the billable hour....
July 31, 2011
Professional Services: Hiring A QDRO Attorney After Your Divorce
When people need to divide retirement funds after their divorce, if those funds are in a 401(k) or a pension, usually people have to go...
June 26, 2011
My Safest Clients: A Road More Traveled
Since my last post, dated April 23rd, I’ve had some time to ponder the feedback I’ve gotten about my “happiest” clients who didn’t engage my...
April 26, 2011
My Happiest Clients: A Road Less Traveled
I would like to be able to write that my most satisfied clients, the ones who expressed the highest level of happiness with their process...