About - Curriculum Vitae

Professional Concentration

Mediator of disputes among business owners (business divorce), family business (advising and mediation of succession issues), commercial, real estate, marital, HOA and probate disputes. Facilitation of public policy issues.

Background

Corporate lawyer in New York City at international law firm until 2008; started mediating part-time in 2006 by volunteering at a Community Mediation Center in Queens, NY, handling primarily neighbor-to-neighbor, landlord-tenant and similar disputes. After advanced training, in 2008 became full time professional mediator.

Mediation Rosters

On mediation rosters of state and federal courts in NY, NJ, and CA, as well as the AAA, CEDR, C.A.R.,IMI and California Insurance Panel for wildfire and earthquake claims. 

Education

Legal studies at Cornell (J.D.), University of Chicago (MCL); over 400 hours of advanced mediation training at various venues, including Harvard, CPR, ABA, CEDR, ACR and ICC, Family Firm Institute Certificate in Family Business Advising. 

Teaching 

Presented seminars and workshops on mediating family and small business disputes at ACR, AFHE, NYSDRA, APFM and other venues. Guest lecturer at Riverside County Mediation Training

Writing (selected)

Resolving Fights over Vacation Homes (Without Lawyers)

Extensively quoted by reporter Paul Sullivan, New York Times (Aug 17, 2017)

Mediation on Broadway – The Dramatic Lessons of OSLO

Mediate.com (June 2017)

Review of the New York County Surrogates Court Pilot Mediation Program

ADR Committee, New York City Bar Association (Oct 2016)

Book Review: Beyond Revenge: The Evolution of the Forgiveness Instinct

NYS Council on Divorce Mediation (Summer 2012)

Active Listening for Commercial Mediators

ACR-GNY Practice Tip — www.acrgny.org/forum_ADR_tip

The “X” Factor for Successful Mediations

ACR-GNY Practice Tip (Oct 2010) — www.acrgny.org/forum_ADR_tip

Mediating Business Divorce Disputes

New York Dispute Resolution Lawyer, NYS Bar Association (Fall 2009)

Buy-Sell Agreements are Just Smart Business

New York Enterprise Report (Dec 2007)

Beyond Battleaxes and Crossbows – Minimizing Litigation Trauma in the U.S. Through Mediation

German American Trade (May 2007)

International Corporate Governance: A Comparative View of the Independent Director in the United States and Europe

New York Law Journal (Nov 2006)

A Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement: Is there a TAFTA in Our Future?

Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (Oct 1995)

The Investor/Host State Dispute Settlement Provisions of NAFTA

Report on NAFTA, Association of the Bar of the City of New York (1993)

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS  (selected)

Unraveling the Hidden Threads of Conflict

Family Firm Institute Annual Conference (Oct 2020)

Dealing with Implicit Bias in Mediation

Workshop for Court Mediators, Riverside County (Oct 2019)

Online Mediation Lessons for Mediators

Guest lecturer, Riverside County Mediation Course (Sep 2024, 2025)

Who’s Got the Will – Dealing with Family Conflict

Palm Desert Public Library Speaker Series (Jan 2020)

High Conflict Estate Disputes: Reaching Settlement Among Warring Siblings

Desert Estate Planning Council (Mar 2018)

Using Mediation Within the Family Enterprise to Bring Positive Change from Internal Conflict

AFHE Mid-Year Conference, Cleveland (Nov 2017)

Peace Through Mediation, Domestically and Internationally

Rotary Club Featured Speaker, Palm Springs (Nov 2017)

A Mediation Career: Getting Started

New York City Bar Association (2015)

Miscellaneous 

Chair of 2016-2020 NYCBA/NYSBA NYC Surrogate’s Court (Probate) Mediation Task Force and roster, Judge at ABA 2025 negotiation competition, and mediator/ judge at the annual ICC international mediation competition in Paris. Member of NY Bar, Listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who in Legal Mediation, Chair of the Mediation Practice Group of the Family Firm Institute.

Personal

Two adult children living in Colorado and New York. Enjoy sailing, snowshoeing, local hiking and long distance walking in the US and Europe, including portions of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the West Highland Way in Scotland, the Alpe-Adria Trail in Slovenia, the Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails in the US. 

Favorite Quote

“Out beyond ideas of wrong and right, there is a field. I will meet you there.”,
Rumi, 13th century Persian poet