Accretion or erosion? … it depends on where you are standing, This weekend I had a chance to visit Wasque Point on Chappaquiddick Island.This area is undergoing tremendous change due to tides and weather since the ocean caused a breach separating South Beach in Edgartown from Chappaquiddick in 2007. (see http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/cape-cod-islands/wasque-reservation.html) Standing on the Chappaquiddick side you see erosion and terrible loss of beach and island property. On the Edgartown side it is a story

Recently we found out that our office had some unseen structural issues (water related). This has required tearing down walls and starting over in some places. This project has reminded me how important it is to look with eyes wide open at the realities before you. Often to do that we have to tear down our ideas of how we think things should be and open them to how they really are. We are looking

Yesterday my husband told me that his office holiday luncheon was going to be held at 2:30 and that people could leave from lunch, thus going home early.  What I heard was that my husband thought he was being generous by letting his staff leave early.  What kind of holiday benefit is leaving at 4 PM (after the luncheon) versus the usual 4:30?  Was my usually generous husband guilty of being a scrooge?  My mind

We are back from an amazing trip to the ABA/ADR conference in Denver where we were privileged to present a workshop on the impact of implicit bias in mediation.  We were joined by Carol’s daughter, Holen, who is a PhD. candidate at the University of Colorado at Boulder.  Holen is doing research on Implicit Bias and we were able to blend our work with her insights.  At  the conference we attended workshops with the top

How to Get the Most from Your Mediation Session One of the most common things I hear when I am mediating a case is “Carol do your magic”.  I like to think of myself as having special powers, but the truth is, like everything else in law, good preparation by the parties is the key to success in mediation. Timing :  The first thing to consider is when is the time right to mediate this particular case.  If

If you have been to our office, you have probably heard us talk about the bald eagles.  Perhaps you have even seen them.  Our winter pair of eagles are back, a full-grown male and female. This week, I have been watching them each day.  The pair have been behaving strangely though.  At least twice a day, they fly in tandem, diving and chasing each other.  First the male leads, and then the female.  They glide

Welcome to our blog. We will be writing on various topics relating to the work we do and keeping you updated on important trends in the law.We welcome your questions on topics relating to mediation, dispute resolution and healthy communication and will be happy to answer them.

A mediation session is an opportunity for all sides to a dispute to work together to see if the case can be resolved.  Sometimes people come to a mediation before litigation has been started and sometimes a lawsuit has already been filed and the court has required the parties to get together. Carol and Melinda have specialized training and are  not involved in the actual dispute. When the parties come to mediation they can expect