Melinda Gehris
Melinda has been mediating professionally since 1994. Her practice includes both private clients and work for the New Hampshire Probate and Superior Courts, the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire, the EEOC and the Human Rights Commission. She is also a Certified Family Mediator. As an experienced trainer, Melinda develops and leads programs in dispute resolution from basic mediation skills to advanced, specialized dispute resolution training. She has also developed programs in negotiation, arbitration and other dispute resolution processes.
Melinda was appointed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court Committee on Dispute Resolution. She is currently the President of the Board of the New Hampshire Conflict Resolution Association and the Vice-Chair of the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Committee. Melinda also serves on the Board of Trustees of Five Rivers Conservation Trust, a land trust in the capitol region of New Hampshire.
Listening and counseling are skills I have strengthened over the years. I have been actively involved in dispute resolution since an early age. Mediation has been part of my practice since coming to New Hampshire in 1994. I have increased my activities since receiving my Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the University of Massachusetts. I enjoy helping others identify goals and learn about the perspective of others as we work together through the steps of mediation. Finding a workable resolution for all parties involved is strong motivation for me every day.
When I am not involved in guiding my clients through mediation, I enjoy training other dispute resolution professionals. Our skills and ethics courses help students develop their mediation skills; from basic mediation skills, to how to deal with specific challenges mediators face. I particularly like assisting students as they become comfortable with complex tools for working with others, either in negotiation, arbitration or mediation.
Since 2007, I have been named to Woodward and White’s Best Lawyers in America in dispute resolution. I am also a founding member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Alliance, a volunteer group working to provide information about dispute resolution and studying systemic change to the dispute resolution landscape in New Hampshire.
You may contact me directly at Melinda@HessGehris.com or call 603-225-0477. My fax number is 603-227-0745.