Many clients' first question is, "Why should we choose you?" Ever since I began mediating in 2002, I have continually worked to provide the highest level of professional competence and individualized care. By working with me, you receive the benefit of my professional activities, both in session and outside of the one-on-one context, which enhance the quality of the service I provide to you.
Here are some of the features of my services and background:
1.I hold a Juris Doctor degree from the University
of Idaho College of Law, where I was named to the Dean’s List for academic excellence
and was the top student in my graduating class in the specialties
of Children and the Law and Domestic Violence Law.I believe that it is essential that a family law mediator
hold a law degree.Even though I, as a mediator, cannot offer legal advice, I use my training to make sense of the complex issues involved in a matter as important as a divorce or separation. My legal education allows me the analytical skills to propose creative practical solutions.
2.I have been featured by the media as an expert in ten states.
3.I have appeared on KATU’s “A.M.
Northwest” morning television program more often, to the best of my knowledge, as an unpaid expert than any
family law mediator or attorney.
4.I was selected by “The Schilling Show” of
Virginia as a family and divorce commentator, a consulting role I now continue, having made multiple live appearances on the program and with another appearance scheduled for April.
5.My 12 years as a teacher and tutor—before,
during, and after law school—have allowed me to bring not only legal
sophistication and practical knowledge to my office, but also concern for
families, ability to understand emotions, and capacity to relate to teens.
6.I practice only marital and teen mediation, and
I always have.Unlike some mediation
practitioners who accept all family cases, including adoption and elder law,
and some who do not even limit the scope of their practice to family mediation,
I believe it is essential to commit myself exclusively to families.
7.I
offer an online scheduling and invoicing system so that clients can easily book appointments
and manage payments and credits.
8.As
a mediator, my fees allow my clients to save funds compared to the cost of retaining a family law attorney, and my process
takes far less time (therefore fewer billed hours) than many mediators.I do not believe it is ethical or responsible
to bill a client for up to 16 to 20 hours of time when a high-quality
can be achieved in the six hours that I generally take.
9.I
provide free services and consultation time to my clients’ children during and
after their parents’ mediation, always at no cost.
10.I
was approached by a partner at a large Portland law firm about the possibility of teaching a Continuing
Legal Education course, which I hope to teach in the next six months, to family
law attorneys who are members of the Oregon State Bar.
11.Although
I keep a regular schedule of one full day and two half-days per week, which
varies by the week, I am also available seven days a week from as early as 8:00
a.m. to as late as 9:00 p.m. for hours by appointment.
12.Knowing
that family crises don’t limit themselves to regular business hours, neither do
I.I am available by phone after hours
for emergencies and non-emergencies.
