Author Archives: abfifer

Court-Ordered Apology

March 22, 2017 – 8:18 am

Of what value is a judge-ordered apology? A Michigan court ordered a state official last week to apologize to Flint residents for her role in perpetuating the Flint water crisis. Will it help the official? Will it help Flint residents feel better? There may be some value to the “offender,” who is forced to face […]

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Grievance Filed Against Attorney-Mediator

December 28, 2016 – 8:50 pm

How much must a mediator disclose to the parties about the mediator’s social relationship with one party’s attorney? That question is at the heart of a complaint filed by the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission against an attorney-mediator in a divorce case who failed to disclose to the husband’s attorney during the course of their year-long […]

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Christian Mediation in Nigeria

December 14, 2016 – 9:36 am

The Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (“CLASFON”), the oldest and largest Christian lawyers association in Africa, is leading the way in bringing mediation to Nigeria. Two years ago, CLASFON invited Iowa attorney and Christian conciliator Laurie Stewart to teach a five-day course on inter-personal biblical peacemaking to over one hundred CLASFON lawyers in Nigeria. These […]

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Safety in Mediation

October 13, 2016 – 2:39 pm

A colleague recently did a business mediation here in Michigan where he discovered after the fact that both parties were carrying concealed weapons. As this becomes more commonplace in the U.S., it behooves us as mediators to do what we can to ensure party safety in mediation. One way to ensure that no one brings […]

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Apology 101: Find a Period

October 8, 2016 – 7:34 pm

A basic tenet in constructing an effective apology is not to say too much. As author Darrel Puls says, “By limiting the scope of the apology, we enhance the probability of success.” In my own experience, it means quickly finding a period, and stopping. Finish the sentence, and wait for the response. Only after the […]

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