Bringing Peace Into the Room

Bringing Peace Into the Room examines the personal qualities that make a mediator effective. The eminent authors of this volume go beyond traditional descriptions of academic training, theoretical orientation, and refinement of technique to confront issues related to personal temperament and the crucial psychological, intellectual and spiritual qualities of the mediation professional― qualities that are often the most potent elements of successful mediation. In this comprehensive resource, Daniel Bowling and David Hoffman bring together a stellar panel of practitioners, academics, teachers, and trainers in the field― Michele LeBaron, Kenneth Cloke, Robert Benjamin, Don Saposnek, Sara Cobb, Peter Adler, Jonathan Reitman, Lois Gold, Marvin Johnson, and others― ¾who share their personal experiences as mediators. Each contributor demonstrates that at the very heart of conflict resolution is the subtle interaction between the parties and the mediator's personal and authentic style.

Daniel Bowling is an attorney, mediator, mediator trainer, and the director of the Washington, D.C. office of Resolve, Inc., a public policy consensus building organization. He was the first CEO of ACR (The Association for Conflict Resolution), the executive director of SPIDR (Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution), and cofounder of the Lowcountry Mediation Network, the first mediation organization in South Carolina.
David A. Hoffman is an attorney, mediator, and arbitrator at the Boston Law Collaborative, LLC, a multi-disciplinary firm devoted to conflict resolution and the practice of collaborative law. He is chair-elect of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution and has taught mediation, negotiation, and family law at Northeastern University Law School and Harvard Law School.