The Promise of Restorative Justice

I had an amazing experience last week at a Salon sponsored by the Southern California Mediation Association. We screened Rachel Libbert's excellent documentary "Beyond Conviction". There, she told the story of three victims and the perpetrators who had each been convicted of a violent crime against them, confronting one another. The power of the admissions and the inquisitions and the acceptance and healing was palpable. For me, the experience was only enhanced by the fact that I had invited a friend, Rabbi Yossi Carron to the screening. Yossi works as a Prison Chaplain in the L.A. Men's Central Jail. As he left, he whispered to me: "This is incredible. I want to screen this film at the Prison, to show it to "my guys", and let them see the power of apologizing and the promise of forgiveness and healing. And I want you to come (on behalf of SCMA) to explain how mediation works."

As a civil, commercial mediator, I don't have that sense of transformative mediation too often. Here, although I'm not sure I have the courage to facilitate this type of mediation, I felt for the first time that I had the power to change lives and even the penal system in California in a small way with enormous potential consequence.

I have not felt quite so excited by the power and promise of mediation since the day I finished "The Moral Imagination", by John Lederach. Rachel Libbert is to be congratulated. What an awesome undertaking.

New and Improved Century City Hearing Space

I'm pleased to announce that as of March 5, 2007, I will have Office Space for Mediations in both Century City and Encino. Stop by to see my pretty new offices at: 1901 Avenue of the Stars. I'm on the Second Floor: Phone: 310-201-0990.

Diplomat Meets Mediator

The Association of Business Trial Lawyers boldly hosted Peter Robinson, co-Director of the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution, Robert Mnookin, Director of the Harvard Project on Negotiation, and Ambassador Dennis Ross, Special Middle-East Coordinator during the Clinton and Senior Bush administration at a dinner on February 13, 2007. What a fascinating presentation! I was struck by Ambassador Ross' stories on the Middle-East peace summits. His conduct was so insightful.

The Harvard Insight Initiative

What a phenomenal weekend I had last weekend at the Ojai Valley Spa & Resort with Erica Ariel Fox and Mark Thornton at the "Beyond Yes" Dialogue series sponsored by the Harvard Project on Negotiation. We chanted, we danced, we meditated and even did a little Tai Chi. In the presence of icons of the field, co-sponsored by the International Academy of Mediators, we considered the personality types within each of us, and present in every dispute. Our focus was getting to "center". It was a soul-serving, satiating experience of a rare glimpse of introspection: not into my skills, marketing acumen or well-being, but into my essence. Even without the expensive massage therapy, the weekend was nothing short of delicious, contemplative, relaxing and enlightening. Rock on, Erica!

The Moral Imagination: Book Review

John Lederach's new book, "The Moral Imagination" is an inspired introspection and a "call to disarms" for any mediator who understands the broader implications of our work. He notes that the principal distinction between that which has characterized the past century's peacemaking efforts and those inspired momentary instances which have succeeded in changing violent histories is simply this: we dare to dream--we view things through a lens tainted with a moral imagination. The book is awesome, and I've just begun. Recommend it to all those who view their mediation skills as more than a profession, but a "vocation".