Mark Baer is an attorney who works as a mediator, conflict resolution consultant, coach, trainer, and educator on implicit bias and emotional intelligence. He has practiced law for over thirty years, and his area of concentration is mediation, particularly within the context of family law, family businesses, and disputes involving interpersonal relations. His approach to conflict recognizes that emotion impacts our decision-making and that the litigation process itself tends to incite rather than calm harmful emotions. In his conversation with Len, Mark conveys the story of a married couple who are also business partners, how bias caused conflict in both their business and personal relationship, and what it took to change that trajectory. The lessons learned have universal applications.

Mark goes above and beyond his duties as a skilled lawyer and mediator. In addition to his exemplary work in his professional capacity, he is highly involved in the legal and mediation communities. He is a prolific writer of articles and contributions to several books, and his writings on bias, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence have been published in several popular publications. Mark is widely recognized for his authoritative writings on bias in several law publications, has blogged for the Huffington Post, and is considered a “thought leader” in the areas of family law, mediation, collaborative divorce, and conflict resolution.

His article titled The Amplification of Bias in Family Law and Its Impact was published in the Bias Edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in May 2020. It has since been cited in several law review articles as the first cited authority on judicial bias and parenting choices in a dissenting opinion by the Supreme Court of Kansas in March 2021, among other places. Mark’s article on bias in family law was the lead article in the bias edition of Family Advocate Magazine, a publication of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association. Bias – its causes, impact, and what can be done to reduce and keep it in check – has been a central theme throughout his work.

Mark received his B.A. from UCLA and his J.D. from Loyola Law School. He was selected as “Most Compassionate Family Mediator” in California for 2015 by Corporate America Legal Elite, “Best Collaborative Divorce Practitioner in California for 2015 for Acquisition International’s AI Legal Awards, and as a Southern California “Super Lawyer” from 2012 – 2016. He also co-authored the Amazon Best Seller, Putting Kids First in Divorce: How to Reduce Conflict, Preserve Relationships and Protect Children During and After Divorce, published in February 2016.

He can be contacted by email at mark@markbaeresq.com or by telephone at (626)389-8929.