Category: About Mediation
Not If, But How: Preparing International Family Mediation for Multi-Agent AI
February 10, 2026Many mediators already use large language models (LLMs) — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Mistral — to support everyday work, but the...
By Dr. Blanka Illés
Why Trust and Mediator Fit Matter in Family Mediation
February 10, 2026When people begin looking for a family mediator, they often focus on logistics: availability, cost, or whether the mediation can...
By Amy Robertson
The Troublesome Gap is ADR Firms’ Security
February 10, 2026Summary: ADR institutions strive to maintain strong security at the front end, but may lose control once cases move to...
By Gary Doernhoefer
The Creative Solution in Family Mediation by Chip Rose
February 6, 2026The Creative Solution in Family Mediation is a collection of articles written by Chip Rose as a contributor to The...
By Chip Rose
The Mediate.com Story – Table of Contents
February 4, 2026Copyright 2026 - All rights reserved - ODR.com, Inc. INTRODUCTION About this “Book" About the Author Acknowledgements The Most Informative...
By Jim Melamed
Moral Emptiness, Sexual Offending, and Neutrality in Mediation: Reflections from Theatre and Practice
February 3, 2026This essay examines the intersection of sexual offending, moral absence, and professional neutrality through the lens of both theatrical performance and real-world...
By Ron Berglas
Neutrality, Truthfulness, and Trust: What ABA Formal Opinion 518 Teaches Mediators About Their Role—and Their Word
February 3, 2026Introduction: Why This Opinion Matters Now Mediators routinely operate at the intersection of law, psychology, and negotiation. In court-connected mediation—particularly when one or...
By Robert Wright
The Digital Evolution of Mediation, AI Integration and the Future
February 3, 2026Summary This presentation features Jim Melamed discussing the profound shift of mediation from a physical practice to a digital phenomenon,...
By Jim Melamed
On a Reflective Path for Building Professional Mastery in Third-Party Interventions
February 2, 2026The SRI—A Pragmatic 4x4x4 by 4 Reflective Tool “One cannot see what they haven't noticed yet and cannot notice what...
By Tzofnat Peleg-Baker
What Is Trauma-Informed Mediation?
February 2, 2026A Practical Explanation for Lawyers and Their Clients If you’ve ever had a client freeze, lash out, or abruptly walk away from...
By Julie Somerville
From Legal Generalities to Tailored Realities: Using Temperament to Build Durable Co-Parenting Plans
February 2, 2026In family mediation—whether navigating custody, dependency, or guardianship—we often hide behind the phrase “Best Interests of the Child.” While it...
By Laura Lorber
Lawyers & Mediators International: Jim Melamed of Mediate.com on Digital Evolution of Mediation
January 27, 2026In this podcast, Jim Melamed, co-founder of Mediate.com, explains the historical shift from physical to digital dispute resolution. He details how the...
By Mac-Arthur Pierre-Louis, Jim Melamed
Looking Back at 2025: Changing Trends in Mediation Clientele
January 25, 2026Each year at the Centre for Mediation and Dispute Resolution, we look back at our client population, seeking to detect...
By Dr. Lynne C. Halem
The Iceberg of Resolution: Why the Mediation Session is Just the Tip of the Professional Mediator’s Work
January 24, 2026Many clients and junior attorneys view mediation as a single, high-stakes event—a marathon day of sitting in separate rooms while...
By N. Edward (Ed) Timken
Mercy Movie Review and the Mainstreaming of ODR
January 23, 2026Originally published at LMIPodcast.com, part of LMINetwork.com | Lawyers Mediators International. It’s 2026, and the first big blockbuster film in...
By Mac-Arthur Pierre-Louis
“I’m Sorry I Ever Met you; I Wish I Had Never Laid Eyes on You.”
January 23, 2026It’s easy for mediators to underestimate how terrifying mediation can be for participants, especially if they are unrepresented. We are trained to be calm, centered,...
By Nancy Shuger
Professionalism in ADR-The Professional Mediation Advocate
January 23, 2026I have observed advocates and mediators who are the epitome of professionals. From them I’ve learned what professionalism looks like in the practice of...
By Mike Leib
Protection Is More Than Paper: A Frontline Reflection on Ontario’s Missing Protection-Order Legislation
January 23, 2026In mediation work, safety is the invisible foundation. If it is present, families can negotiate. If it is absent, every...
By Rachel Graycliff
When Experience Meets Conflict: The Over-50 Professionals Workplace Reality
January 23, 2026Professionals in their 50s often experience workplace conflict as something fundamentally different than they did earlier in their careers. Disagreement...
By Yvette Durazo
The Third Home: Why Ignoring the Digital World Leaves Children Carrying What Adults Haven’t Aligned
January 23, 2026Introduction: The Family Space We Keep Missing Most co-parenting conversations focus on what we can see: schedules, holidays, school choice,...
By Yanine Simpser
Mediating Climate Accountability: The ICJ Advisory Opinion and the Role of Mediation
January 23, 2026With the Global temperature about 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels and the past nine years the warmest on record, rising seas, melting...
By Papito Francis Ojok
2026: The Year ODR Goes Mainstream
January 19, 2026For my first newsletter of the year, I want to start with a goal I've set, and that is 2026...
By Mac-Arthur Pierre-Louis
AAA Mediation Podcast – Episode 1 with Lori Lightfoot
January 16, 2026In the debut episode of the AAA’s new Mediation Podcast, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot reflects on her journey from...
By Tracey Frisch
The ABA’s New Ethics Opinion on Mediation: Frequently Asked Questions
January 16, 2026[This article first appeared in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (January 5, 2026) and is published here with permission.] In October...
By David Hoffman
The 3 Hottest Trends in Dispute Resolution for 2026
January 14, 2026Why the most successful neutrals are rethinking how they practice, price, and position themselves If you want to understand where...
By Susan Guthrie
AI Empathy in Mediation; When Algorithms Show Compassion
January 8, 2026Empathy, a key core competency in mediation, is not merely a personality trait, but fulfills a methodological function: it builds...
By Michael Lardy
The Mediate.com Story: About this “Book”
January 6, 2026Table of Contents Next INTRODUCTION: ABOUT THIS BOOK So, what exactly counts as “a book” these days? In the pre-digital...
By Jim Melamed
Protecting Clients, Preserving Privilege, and Avoiding Liability: Why Legal Professionals Must Use Redaction Tools Before Using AI
January 3, 2026In an era where artificial intelligence is speeding up legal workflows (for attorneys, arbitrators, and mediators) and transforming document review,...
By Robert Bergman
ICODR Podcast 43: The Frontiers of ODR, with Professor Pablo Cortés of Leicester Law
December 30, 2025In this episode, Ian speaks with Dr. Pablo Cortés, who is a full professor with a chair in Civil Justice...
By Pablo Cortés, Ian MacDuff
What Worked, What Didn’t and What to Leave Behind: A Candid Practice Debrief for 2025 with Susan Guthrie on the Practice Playbook Podcast #549
December 30, 2025If you want a clearer, steadier, and more grounded start to 2026, this episode offers the essential year-end reflection every legal...
By Susan Guthrie