Blog
Why Divorce Mediation Structure Matters When Emotions Run High
When people come to my office to talk about their divorce, they often arrive carrying a real pileup of emotions. This is exactly where divorce mediation structure starts to matter most. They worry about their kids and their money. They worry about whether life is...
What Burnout in Family Law Is Trying to Tell You
I was surprised by how many people saw themselves in my recent post about burnout in family law. Clearly, this is a problem that hits close to home for a lot of smart, capable professionals. Burnout in Family Law Is More Than Exhaustion We usually talk about burnout...
Working with High-Conflict Clients: Burnout as an Occupational Hazard
If you work with high‑conflict people long enough, burnout becomes likely. This includes family law, mediation, mental health, and crisis-adjacent roles where you spend your days sitting with people’s fear, anger, grief, and battles for control. Working with...
Why Mediation Gets Harder When the Stakes Rise
Many professionals assume mediation gets easier with experience. You learn the basic mediation tools, and they can carry you pretty far. In many situations, that is true. But increase the stakes, and suddenly, people start losing their crap in ways you didn't expect....
What to Stop Doing in the New Year (If You Want Less Conflict)
January has a way of making people ambitious. It's a good time to work on developing healthy conflict resolution habits. New plans show up fast, along with familiar patterns that never quite left. Starting new habits for resolving conflict matters. So does dropping...
2025 Divorce Mediation Lessons: Reflections From a Year in the Room
A year of divorce mediation always teaches me something, but the lessons rarely show up the way I expect. After so many years in the chair, I still find myself surprised by people. There is plenty of fear and frustration in the work, and I see my share of rough edges....