When I first started handling cases and trying jury trials in 1980, mediation was not a word that was ever used by judges, lawyers, or litigants. In the early 1990s, mediation was starting to be discussed and occasionally used as a resolution tool to end litigation. However, most trial lawyers would tell you they tried more cases back then than they mediated. Fast forward to the 2000s, and the opposite is true: most trial lawyers mediated far more cases than they tried. As that transition was occurring, I went through formal mediation training and became a certified mediator in 2007. My thought was that trial lawyers wanted a trial lawyer to be their mediator. Who better to discuss the risks and rewards of trial than someone who had been in the courtroom? It was going to be a fun and rewarding sideline to my law practice. Now here I am twelve years later having mediated over 1000 cases and in the last five years having transitioned into a full time mediation practice.
I still believe that what I am privileged to do every day is fun and rewarding, and I offer my experience and energy to all who are in search of resolution through communication and negotiations.