These links are to articles that came from my twitter feed or from daily news sources and which seem to be worth a a read (click on title to go to link):
A satirically funny list of reasons not to settle your divorce case, by Eric Solotoff of N.J. Family Legal Blog: HERE
Elder Mediation highlighted in this February 2012 article in SLATE magazine: HERE
This article in 2/5/12 LA Times is about Peer Mediation in schools: HERE
Learn more about the concepts of cognitive dissonance and backfire in this July 2010 NPR article: HERE
Mediation “with a kick” (requiring lenders to show up for the meeting, and to bring someone who has authority to settle the case when they come) works! In Nevada mediation results in a large percentage of homeowners staying in their homes. For the article, click HERE:
Fannie Mae orders mandatory pre-suit mediation in Florida. Wall Street Journal Article (Jan 8, 2011) about it, HERE.
I’d like to highlight a book written by my friend and mentor Vickie Pynchon. This book is easy to read and very helpful when it comes to dealing with conflict. Highly recommended. (Click HERE for a more extensive review by mediator Joe Markowitz, and click HERE for a more extensive review by Tammi Lenski.) The bottom line is, buy it.
This article is a blog entry on another mediator’s web site (Dr. Lynn Halem, in Boston) and lists some of the reasons her clients give for mediating their divorce cases.
Mandatory foreclosure mediation programs reduce foreclosures by about 50%. Congressional testimony by Diane E. Thomson, a legal services attorney who represents low income homeowners (link accessed November 28, 2010).
Some of the benefits of non-lawyers as mediators. Blog post by attorney mediator Joe Markowitz: Are Lawyers the Best Mediators? (January 2010, accessed November 9, 2010)
The 1999 article, “The Trend Towards Mandatory Mediation: A Critical Feminist Legal Perspective” provides an important reminder that mediation should only be undertaken with the utmost care in cases where there is imbalance of power, and especially where there is abuse of power through spousal abuse. Most mediators, including me, are alert to signs of spousal abuse and will not mediate cases where it exists. Standard X (i.e. #10) of the Model Standards of Practice for Family and Divorce Mediation states specific steps mediators are to take to ensure the integrity of the mediation process.
For an August, 2010, article about long term, negative effects on children living in high conflict households, click HERE. This article will make you think twice about how to approach that disagreement you have with your spouse!
A July, 2010, article on Mediate.com gives an update on various foreclosure mediation initiatives around the country (click HERE).
These are not articles, they’re web sites devoted to helping parents create and manage parenting plans: Our Family Wizard (click HERE) and Up To Parents (click HERE). If you are a parent seeking to manage coparenting issues with a divorced or separated spouse, check out these resources!
The article Low Key Judge Raises the Roof With Foreclosure Rulings, reminds me of a principle stated in The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Namely, to make a change in an organization the manager must first get the attention of the person and make them realize he is serious. In this case, bank representatives were not taking mortgage foreclosure mediation seriously. Not until, that is, the judge zapped them with some major fines and penalties for failure to take it seriously. It worked, it got their attention! Mortgage foreclosure brings better results than a judicial sale! Even when it’s impossible for the borrower to stay in the home, mortgage foreclosure mediation should be viewed as successful when it helps with a “graceful exit”. For more on this topic, click HERE.
Blog article, Standard Visitation For Actively Involved, Non Custodial Parents in South Carolina, includes some helpful ideas and clauses for drafting Agreements in South Carolina.
How not to do your divorce: Seven Deadly Sins of Divorce
Diane Levin review of Book Lawyers as Peacemakers (and click Lawyers as Peacemakers: Practicing Holistic, Problem-Solving LawLawyers as Peacemakers: Practicing Holistic, Problem-Solving LawLawyers as Peacemakers: Practicing Holistic, Problem-Solving LawLawyers as Peacemakers: Practicing Holistic, Problem-Solving LawLawyers as Peacemakers: Practicing Holistic, Problem-Solving LawLawyers as Peacemakers: Practicing Holistic, Problem-Solving LawLawyers as Peacemakers: Practicing Holistic, Problem-Solving LawHERE for link to the book itself, $55 on Amazon)
Practical tips for one of those difficult conversations: Talking to parents about hanging up the car keys
Think you know it all when it comes to negotiation? This article has some interesting news: The concept of “Anchoring” in negotiation
Enjoy! 🙂
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