Peter Linn, Esq. is a seasoned mediator and litigator with nearly three decades of expertise in the Bay Area legal landscape. In this episode, Peter tells the story of a dispute between competing businesses, two nail salons, one of which was owned by former employees of the other, who “poached” the employees of their former employer and opened its doors across the street. How did Peter help the parties overcome a highly emotional business situation with issues ranging from wage and hour, unfair competition, misappropriation of trade secrets, and others, with each side seeking affirmative relief?

Geri Green, Esq. is a full-time mediator and discovery referee. Her straightforward approach and open-minded pragmatism generate the trust necessary for litigants to entertain the possibility of resolution and arrive at solutions. In this episode, Geri shares the story of a family, still dealing with the emotional trauma of their father’s death, being sued by their tenant, an equine psychologist and long-time friend, for habitability issues arising from the rental. Friendship, grief, hurt feelings, legal rights, and insurance issues presented formidable obstacles to resolution. Learn how this master mediator helped the parties embrace a satisfying solution and put the dispute behind them.

Irene Takahashi is widely recognized as one of the Bay Area’s leading mediators, and, since 2017, has been a member of the ADR Services, Inc. panel of neutrals. Building on a solid foundation of trial experience, she adds the insights gained while serving as a trial judge for both bench and jury civil and criminal cases. In this episode, Irene and Len discuss the mediation of a wrongful death case arising out of a collision between a car and a motorcycle. The widowed plaintiff’s continued anger at the defendant and the widow’s desire that the defendant suffer posed a substantial impediment to resolution. What did Irene do to overcome this deeply emotional situation and make settlement possible?

Carmen Alberio is a recognized expert in the field of Probate, Estates, and Trusts law, with 37 years of experience as a Probate Attorney for the Los Angeles Superior Court that has been invaluable in both her probate consultation and mediation work. In this episode, Carmen will share the story of a probate mediation about a dispute between a beneficiary and the successor trustee, and how she was able to guide the parties to resolution. Carmen refers to the process she went through in determining what it would take to settle this case as the process of peeling an onion.

Bette Epstein, Esq. has been mediating trust and estate disputes since 2000, following a remarkable career as a trust and estate litigator, and is highly regarded as one of the Bay Area’s leading probate specialists. In this episode, Bette shares the story of a conflict between the widow of a wealthy man whose intent was to ensure that his widow (who provided all the necessary care for him in his lengthy last illness) would be able to maintain the lifestyle she had previously enjoyed with her husband after his death, and his sons from a previous marriage, who were the co-trustees of the trust set up to support the widow. Listen to find out how she was able to guide the parties to a resolution.

Steve Cerveris is a full-time, independent mediator and principal of CERVERIS MEDIATION.

Assisting his clients through the emotionally and economically draining, time-consuming challenges of litigation earlier in his 40-year career ultimately led Steve to pursue the field of alternate dispute resolution for the past 25 years. His goal was and is to help people embroiled in litigation find a more humane, positive way to resolve conflict. In this episode, Steve relates the story of children in a church school, their molestation by a trusted pastor, and the devastating effect molestation had on their lives and relationships. The complicated mediation was not only effective in settling a lawsuit, but was also able to provide a means by which healing could begin, in part, through institutional changes.

Welcome back for a brand new season of Masters of Dispute Resolution! Joining Len is returning guest Phyllis W. Cheng, Esq., former Director of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the largest state civil rights agency in the United States. In this episode, Phyllis tells the story of a man in his twenties, alone in a cell in a jail run by a firm under contract with a governmental agency. Activity in the cell was recorded by a video camera, where he was observed to be sleeping and exercising. It then abruptly showed him in pain with contusions, a black eye, and other injuries, with the man unable to remember what happened to him. What happened to cause these injuries? How did Phyllis guide the parties to resolution?

In the first four seasons of Masters of Dispute Resolution, host Len Levy and his expert guests have not only made it their mission to share how mediation has brought about resolution but also to educate. Not just educate by giving attorneys, mediators, and others tools to perform their respective roles more effectively, but also to illustrate that kindness, dignity, and empathy all carry with them great healing powers. Tune in to hear Len's preview of Season 5, looking forward to more compelling stories of how lives have been changed by those who strive to make a difference.

Season 04 Episode 12

Bob Friedenberg, a full-time Mediator and Arbitrator on the Panel of Neutrals of ADR Services, Inc., and a former litigator, educator, and track coach, has 40 years of legal experience, the last 20 of which have been exclusively as a full-time mediator, arbitrator and discovery referee and special master. He has handled well over 2,000 cases through his years of experience. In this episode, Bob joins Len to tell the story of a dispute about a defective remodeled home and what it took to deal with the complex construction and insurance issues standing in the way of resolution.

Season 04 Episode 11

Steven A. Block, Esq. is a highly experienced mediator, arbitrator, special master, and referee. In this episode Steve tells the story of conflicts within a family, owners of a very successful farm operation, headed by two brothers and founded by their grandparents a century before. That conflict jeopardized not only the ability to continue their legacy business, but also their relationships within the family. Listen and learn how a master mediator helped the parties overcome considerable obstacles to resolution.