Mending Fences

Susan DeMatteo shares her journey from family law trial attorney to collaborative lawyer and mediator. Susan was trained in Collaborative Law early in the movement, and she brings a great depth of experience to this discussion of process choice, creative problem solving, and improved outcomes. Susan, Jen, and Patrice reflect on the benefits of dispute resolution for their clients and their own job...

How do you experience conflict in your body? What role does physical proximity play in dispute resolution? Jen and Patrice talk with choreographer and conflict specialist Dana Caspersen about physical dynamics and engaging with conflict.   Dana is the author of Changing the Conversation: The 17 Principles of Conflict Resolution .  Dana works with individuals and groups to help build robust skills...

It's that time of year in New England! No, not apple picking. It's Conflict Resolution Week! To celebrate, Jen and Patrice sat down with Lisa Wood of Mediation Services of North Central Massachusetts to talk about community mediation, training kids as peer mediators, and using mediation for a variety of disputes and difficult conversations.  Mediation is NOT just for divorce.  This commu...

Should a mediator or lawyer meet clients at least once in person before continuing by video conference? And what’s an "internal mediator?"  Do you have one?  David Hoffman joins Jen and Patrice for a lively, wide-ranging conversation, contemplating these and other questions. David identifies three powerful and continuing benefits virtual dispute resolution practice, and Jen and Patrice s...

Sheila Kelly, LMC, joins Jen and Patrice for a powerful and free flowing conversation about dignity, kids, identity, compassion, and  communication. Jen and Patrice hope this is one of several talks focused on dignity and the first of several talks with Sheila.  

Money can be hard to talk about. Accurately predicting the cost of a dispute resolution process might be impossible. So, how can you and your attorney or mediator have useful talks about what a  given process might cost? Jen and Patrice walk through the factors that make cost estimates so difficult. They also talk about a variety of billing practices and the importance or keeping communication abo...

What happens to the ADHD brain during conflict?  Jen and Patrice sit down with Brendan Mahan of ADHD Essentials to talk about the challenges of dealing with ADHD in conflict resolutions settings.  This conversation is full of great information for both practitioners and participants.      

For some folks, "moving on after a divorce" might happen before the process ends.  Jen and Patrice discuss the legal and practical considerations of moving forward. Will it impact the divorce process? How should you talk to your kids about this?   

Jen and Patrice explore the importance neutrality for mediators and the challenges of staying neutral. The mechanics of maintaining neutrality and the way mediators talk to their clients about neutrality will vary between mediators and cases.  At the same time, the integrity of a mediation process may rest on the mediator's ability to stay impartial while still being responsive.   

Conflict is inevitable. People will disagree and have differences. But we don't all engage with conflict in the same ways or seek the same solutions. In the first of many talks, Jen and Patrice explore how people learn to express and resolve differences.  What and who has influenced the way we engage when we don't agree?  Our first teachers might be siblings and/or peers, but there have...

Jen and Patrice talk with their former colleague, Rachel Goldman, about her journey from Mediator and Collaborative Attorney to Conflict Coach. After building a successful mediation and law practice over three decades, Rachel now turns her skills and insight to coaching people facing personal, professional, and relationship challenges. Rachel specializes in is leadership and communication coaching...

Jennifer and Patrice talk about the dangers and distractions of "triggering" words and how to instead find opportunities for understanding. By pivoting to curiosity when we react negatively, we can develop careful communication where we might have otherwise shut down communication.   

Justin Kelsey, a seasoned mediator, collaborative attorney,  and trainer, talks about the effective use of silence in Dispute Resolution.  Justin walks us through the benefits of using active silence in mediation and collaborative process. This conversation is aimed at professional facilitators, but any conflict or dispute might benefit from the use of active silence. 

Patrice and Jen describe the Collaborative Law process and discuss their roles as attorneys in this process.

Jen and Patrice explain how mediation works, and discuss how they see their roles as neutral in this process.

Patrice Brymner and Jennifer Hawthorne, both mediators and Collaborative Law attorneys, talk a bit about who they are, what they do, and how this podcast came to be.