DISPUTE MEDIATION & CONFLICT RESOLUTION

I am a Certified Mediator in accordance with the California Dispute Resolution Programs Act (Article 3, Section 3622), and skilled in conflict negotiation. I aid in generating options towards resolution of your civil, business, or divorce/custody dispute, by facilitating constructive outcomes for win-win  solutions.

Mediation is a process in which a neutral third party assists in resolving a dispute between two or more parties. The role of the mediator is to help disputing parties find a mutually acceptable resolution to their conflict and case. Mediation is a powerful and cost-effective way for people to reach resolution without involving the intervention of the court. Potential advantages of mediation over court litigation include:

• Control over what decisions are made
• Significantly reduced costs
• Focus on solutions vs. problems
• Flexibility with rules, procedures, and outcomes
• Privacy and confidentiality

The stress of a courtroom proceeding can be overwhelming. Mediation provides a lower cost option for resolving conflict in a way that is generally less disruptive to families, businesses, professional relationships, and personal lives. Mediators with counseling expertise offer a unique quality of understanding conflictual issues from a background of human behavior, which continues to prove in my practice as effective in dispute resolution and negotiation.

My services are available at my office, or a suitable location in your area that we designate prior to the initial meeting. Parties may select fee arrangements based on hourly or per diem charges. There is no administration fee and no charge for an initial phone consultation, so that parties can determine if the mediation process is appropriate for them.

In a lawsuit, there is typically a winning party and a losing party, which is decided by a judge or arbitrator. In mediation, both parties have the opportunity to ‘win’ through facilitated negotiation and mutual agreement. As a voluntary process, the parties are always in control of the outcome, rather than leaving the outcome up to the judge or arbitrator.

You can choose your mediator, but cannot choose your judge or control his ruling.

By reducing the hostility which can result from the litigation process, which may ultimately lead to less desirable results for both parties, mediation is often a favorable and strategic decision. Most mediation sessions last approximately 2 hours, while in some cases extend to an entire day. The number of sessions needed depends on the complexity of the issues.

A mediator does not provide legal advice or make decisions or rulings. Each party in the mediation is advised to seek independent legal counsel during the process. The independent attorneys are also responsible for submitting the final settlement documents to the court once an agreement is reached and documented through mediation.