Mediation is an alternative to lawsuits in civil disagreements. A mediator is a neutral third party whose job is not to take sides or make decisions, but to help each party evaluate goals and options in order to find a solution that works for everyone. When you reach an agreement with an opposing party through mediation, you can make it legally binding by writing down your decisions in the form of an enforceable contract. Or, in some areas, you can have your agreement made part of a court judgment.

A mediator normally has no authority to render a decision; it's up to the parties themselves -- with the mediator's help -- to work informally toward their own agreement. An arbitrator, on the other hand, conducts a contested hearing between the parties and then, acting as a judge, rends a legally binding decision.

• Appointed as mediator by Dallas County courts to mediate commercial, family law, personal injury and workers compensation disputes
• Over 110 mediations with an 85% success rate.
• Volunteer Mediator at the Dispute Mediation Service of Dallas.
• 63.5 hours of classroom training as a mediator, including training with the Dallas Bar Association and Settlement Consultants International.
• 62 hours of certified training in family dynamics, The Meadows, Wickenburg, Arizona
• Extensive further training for which no certification has been provided in a variety of institutions and workshops.
• All statutory requirements are satisfied.