Recent Posts in Endorsements and Testimonials Category
| November 04, 2010 |
| Mediator THURMAN ARNOLD III Recognized By California State Board of Specialization! |
| Posted By Desert Family Mediation Services |
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We are pleased to announce that Attorney and DFMS Mediator Thurman W. Arnold III has received notice from the California Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California that he officially became a Certified Family Law Specialist on November 1, 2010. As such he joins these important professional ranks together with DFMS Mediator the Hon. Gretchen Taylor, Judge Retired, who is similarly certified.
Mr. Arnold's successful certification as a family law specialist follows a lengthy application process that began over 16 months ago. In order to become certified family law specialists, applicants are required to take a written examination that makes the regular Bar examination appear relatively easy. They must demonstrate a high level of experience in family law matters including proving the requisite number of trials and hearings and show a competency in all areas of dissolution and family law practice. They must have been favorably reviewed by other attorneys and judges who are familiar with their work, and they are required to fulfill ongoing education requirements.
The California State Bar certifies legal specialists exactly in order to help identify attorneys who have demonstrated proficiency in specialized fields of the law and to encourage the maintenance and improvement of attorney competency in these specialized fields.
Frankly, family law is possibly the most complex area of legal practice. Not only does it have its own set of Family Code statutes, and many hundreds of reported appellate decisions, it also requires a knowledge of all the rules of general civil legal practice and a familiarity with every manner of business enterprise, form of property, and other financial interests. Most importantly, effective family law attorneys must have a strong passion and a good sense for the emotions and experiences of people who are having family law difficulties, which for most people is their greatest life crisis. Since the core requirement for successful mediation is that the parties make agreements based upon an informed consent, it is critical that they know that they can trust that their mediator fully understands the law as it applies to them and can accurately communicate that information.
For these reasons, Mr. Arnold's certification as a Family Law Specialist is an important accomplishment and a very good reason to select Desert Family Mediation Services to assist you in your mediation needs. There are currently no other lawyers who are certified specialists in Riverside county actively serving as family law mediators.
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| October 16, 2010 |
| Child Psychologist JANE ELLEN SHATZ, Ph.D Joins the DFMS Team! |
| Posted By Desert Family Mediation Services |
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We are extremely pleased and proud to announce that Jane Ellen Shatz, Ph.D, has joined the Desert Family Mediation Services Team as a Mediator and Co-Mediator.
Dr. Shatz has a therapeutic and forensic psychology practice based in Beverly Hills, but is also a part time resident in the Palm Springs area.
Her achievements are too extensive to list, and she is highly sought after. She is well known among family law attorneys, jurists, and within the mental health community for her innovative writings, teachings, and for her thorough and insightful forensic work including 730 Evaluations in high-conflict custody and visitation cases. Dr. Shatz has extensive experience working with families in conflict, and in helping to resolve custody disputes and differences. She helps parents to develop a positive new co-parent relationship and to work together in productive and meaningful ways.
Actor Alec Baldwin describes Dr. Shatz in his 2008 book "A Promise to Ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce" as someone who profoundly helped him with his difficult divorce. He states, "My sessions with her would become the most valuable I had throughout the entire experience.
I believe that had my case been overseen by someone as intelligent, honest and reasonable as Jane Shatz, my whole nightmare might have ended a lot sooner. Shatz is one of the heroes of [my] story."
Dr. Shatz brings her deep sensitivities and unflappable demeanor to mediation as an individual mediator for child centered conflicts and as a co-mediator in the larger disputes that also encompass complex financial and legal related issues. She is at the apex of the mediating and child focused mediation pyramid on a national level, and we are privileged to be able to team with her and to help make her available within the desert cities and the greater Los Angeles area to serve your needs and your family.
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| August 03, 2010 |
| Mediate.com Publishes New Article by Thurman W. Arnold III |
| Posted By Desert Family Mediation Services |
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We are pleased to announce that Mediate.com, the largest information source for all types of mediation in the country, has recently published an article by Thurman W. Arnold entitled "The Peacemaking Option for Divorce and Dissolution of Domestic Partnerships: How Family Scientists Support Interest Based Conciliation and What That Means for Separating Couples".
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"Family scientists have gathered considerable information that suggests that peacemaking solutions to divorce and breakup might offer a brave new option for people transitioning out of relationship. Peacemaking offers a “controlled” alternative to the chaos of adversarial struggle. While peacemaking lawyers are not therapists, the process that peacemaking facilitates is itself entirely therapeutic because it allows both parties to concentrate on their felt interests and the interests of their families. It a 'controlled process,' managed by the parties themselves and orchestrated by a peacemaker."
"Adversarial divorce does have devastating consequences for children, but peacemaking divorce possibly need not have. Social scientists have learned that parents who divorce are subject to “inter-generational transmission,” an increased likelihood that divorce will happen to them too. For instance, researchers have found that parental divorce increases the chances of a daughter’s marriage ending within the first five years by as much as 70%. Incredibly, if both the husband’s and the wife’s parents have been divorced, these odds increase by 189%. This has the effect that for children’s marriages to be successful such children of divorce may need to consciously guard against behaviors that might undermine their marriages. How parents model divorce for these children has lasting implications for their children’s success in doing so. Understanding this common reality is transformative for the next generation."
At DFMS it is our goal to be leaders in the field of Mediation as applied to complex family law matters. This includes informing not only the public about alternatives to traditional litigation, but also developing interdisciplinary approaches that may be used by mediation professionals themselves. |
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| July 11, 2010 |
| DFMS Mediator Gretchen W. Taylor, Judge Ret. Honored by the Los Angeles Daily Journal, July 9, 2010 |
| Posted By Desert Family Mediation Services |
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The Los Angeles Daily Journal is California's principle newspaper for legal professionals, and is read by most of the lawyers in our State who are interested in current legal affairs.
It regularly features articles about and interviews with lawyers, retired judges, mediators and other specialists of note. We are pleased to announce that last week the July 9, 2010 edition featured the Hon. Gretchen W. Taylor at page one of its 'Verdicts and Settlement's Page.'
The article honoring Gretchen provides useful information about her personally and professionally. It may give you some insights into about how her mediation style and philosophy would be of service to you. It also contains endorsements of Gretchen from some of top family law practitioners in Los Angeles County.
To learn more about mediator Gretchen Taylor, please click this link!
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