Making an Appointment
Check My Calendar, Confirm and Prepare
Check my calendar
For maximum efficiency, check my calendar for availability. Find two or three dates that match my availability and your deadlines. Then consult everyone else who will be attending to find one or two dates that everyone can meet.
Then through the contact form below or by email, make sure I am really available for one of those dates. Usually, other cases are “circling” for the same dates, so my verbal agreement is the final step for getting the appointment you want.
Next step is Confirming Attendance.
confirm attendance
After a date has been finalized, I briefly interview each party or attorney over the phone to review attendance details including meeting location, length of the mediation, other attendees, special needs and fees.
I request a minimum of two hours’ fees as a confirmation deposit payable to me via my email address at Paypal.com. If time allows, I will accept this deposit via U.S. mail. On the day of mediation, the mediation will continue until the specified ending time but it may continue past that time by mutual agreement. The balance of fees are due on the same day as mediation either through Paypal, or other electronic means.
Next step is Preparing for Mediation or Facilitation.
COVID-19 UPDATE: Until further notice, all meetings and payments will occur electronically unless prior agreement in writing is made.
prepare for your session
Preparing for mediation or facilitation makes the whole process easier, quicker, and to be frank, less expensive.
Gather all of your paperwork and put it into two piles—court documents and “other”
“Other” should be divided into financial papers (bank statements, tax returns, W-2 forms, mortgage balances, loan balances, retirement/investment account statements, property appraisals, vehicle titles, medical bills, etc., and non-financial (correspondence, report cards, etc.)
Make a list of what you want to resolve at the mediation and rank them by importance
Think about how you and the other people attending act when they are angry or sad—focus on how you keep yourself calm and clear-thinking and bring those techniques with you to the mediation
Don’t forget your method of paying the balance of your fees. If we are meeting online, you will need a credit or debit card. If we are meeting in person, cash or checks will also work.