De-Escalate: The Power of Emotional Listening
Season 03 Episode 09
Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA, left a successful career as a trial lawyer to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity on many levels, doing so as an award-winning author, teacher, trainer, and highly experienced mediator. In this episode, Doug tells the story of a divorced couple engaged in a dispute ostensibly about the use of money that had been in a trust fund, how their emotions had escalated the conflict, and the discovery of the power of affect labeling not only to resolve their dispute but also to change people’s lives.
Was Litigation a Worthwhile Business Investment?
Season 03 Episode 08
Michael G. Balmages, Esq. is an accomplished mediator and discovery referee with extensive experience as a trial lawyer, general counsel, and transactional lawyer. As a mediator and neutral, he has had great success in helping litigants resolve their disputes in more than 1,000 cases. In this episode, Michael tells the story of a litigated matter, its effect on the parties’ long-term relationship, the price paid in both monetary and non-monetary respects, and why two mediations failed to result in settlement.
Overcoming a Wrongful Accusation and Denial of Due Process Through Mediation
Season 03 Episode 07
Phyllis W. Cheng, Esq., has excelled at every stage of her career. For nearly seven years, Ms. Cheng was Director of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the largest state civil rights agency in the United States, where she oversaw the largest settlements in DFEH history. In this episode, Phyllis joins Len to tell the moving story of a university student whose life was disrupted by a false accusation of sexual assault, a denial of due process by the university, and his suspension as a student. Through an agreement reached in mediation, he was able to move forward with his life.
The Collapsed Deck Caused Catastrophic Injuries: Overcoming Impediments to Address the Needs of the Injured Parties
Season 03 Episode 06
Jeff Trueman, Esq., is an experienced, full-time mediator and arbitrator. Specializing in interpersonal conflict, he is well known as a manager of difficult conversations. Jeff joins Len Levy to tell the story of a family reunion suddenly becoming transformed from a joyous occasion to one of life-changing injury and grief and how the mediation Jeff conducted was instrumental in removing the impediments preventing the injured parties from obtaining the help they needed to cope with their injuries and help them heal.
A Bully, A Doctor, and Different Forms of Pain
Season 03 Episode 05
Wendy Kramer, a full-time neutral on the ADR Services, Inc. panel of neutrals, is one of the most sought-after mediators with a reputation for being highly effective in bringing parties to resolution. In this episode, Wendy joins Len to tell the story of a gay high school student, long bullied and subsequently physically injured by his tormentor, the misdiagnosis that exacerbated the injury, and the power of apology and remorse in a mediation that made healing possible in some very surprising ways.
Mediating to Avoid Destruction of a Successful Business
Season 03 Episode 04
Lee Jay Berman became a full-time Los Angeles mediator 28 years ago and has since mediated over 2,500 cases. As an AAA Master Mediator panelist for employment matters and on AAA’s national roster for commercial and construction disputes, he trains mediators through the American Institute of Mediation locally and worldwide. In this episode, Lee Jay tells the story of a successful business, embezzlement, and whether the parties could agree to a business dissolution without killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
Friendship and Business: A Recipe for Success or Conflict?
Season 03 Episode 03
As one of the most effective mediators and professors of mediation, Stacie Feldman Hausner has impressed attorneys, their clients, and fellow mediators with her deep knowledge of the intricacies of the mediation process and her ability to apply those concepts successfully. In this episode, Stacie tells the story of two longtime friends and a business opportunity gone wrong, resulting in an emotional dispute that affected their friendship, families, and community, and the healing made possible by mediation.
The Tale of Business Partners, Their Marriage, and the Bias that Almost Destroyed Both
Season 03 Episode 02
Mark Baer is an attorney who works as a mediator, conflict resolution consultant, coach, trainer, and educator on implicit bias and emotional intelligence. His approach to conflict recognizes that emotion impacts decision-making and that the litigation process itself often incites rather than calms 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.
Nurse Mary and Big Teaching Hospital: Wrongful Termination or Response to a Threat of Violence?
Season 03 Episode 01
As an exceptionally skilled mediator, Claudia Hagadus Long has mediated over 3000 cases and is currently a member of the ADR Services, Inc. panel of mediators. To begin our third season, this master storyteller and mediator shares with Len the fascinating story of a highly qualified nurse, terminated from her job for making a statement taken as a threat and what occurred during the 4-day mediation conducted by Claudia which reconciled the seemingly irreconcilable.
Business and Real Estate Disputes: Is it Business or Personal?
Season 02 Episode 12
Caroline C. Vincent, Esq., a pioneer attorney neutral in Southern California, has mediated and arbitrated well over 2,700 matters during her distinguished 27-year neutral career. Her broad legal background with some of California’s most prestigious firms, superb interpersonal skills, keen intellect, and perseverance make her a preferred choice for both plaintiff and defense attorneys in a wide variety of practice areas. Caroline’s conversation with Len delves into resolution of cases where personal and business concerns are driving the conflict.
