Explore every episode of the podcast Masters of Dispute Resolution

Season 05 Episode 06
Geri Green, Esq. is a full-time mediator and discovery referee. Her straightforward approach and open-minded pragmatism generate the trust necessary for litigants to entertain the possibility of resolution and arrive at solutions. In this episode, Geri shares the story of a family, still dealing with the emotional trauma of their father’s death, being sued by their tenant, an equine psychologist and long-time friend, for habitability issues arising from the rental. Friendship, grief, hurt feelings, legal rights, and insurance issues presented formidable obstacles to resolution. Learn how this master mediator helped the parties embrace a satisfying solution and put the dispute behind them.

Season 05 Episode 05
Irene Takahashi is widely recognized as one of the Bay Area’s leading mediators, and, since 2017, has been a member of the ADR Services, Inc. panel of neutrals. Building on a solid foundation of trial experience, she adds the insights gained while serving as a trial judge for both bench and jury civil and criminal cases. In this episode, Irene and Len discuss the mediation of a wrongful death case arising out of a collision between a car and a motorcycle. The widowed plaintiff’s continued anger at the defendant and the widow’s desire that the defendant suffer posed a substantial impediment to resolution. What did Irene do to overcome this deeply emotional situation and make settlement possible?

Season 05 Episode 04
Carmen Alberio is a recognized expert in the field of Probate, Estates, and Trusts law, with 37 years of experience as a Probate Attorney for the Los Angeles Superior Court that has been invaluable in both her probate consultation and mediation work. In this episode, Carmen will share the story of a probate mediation about a dispute between a beneficiary and the successor trustee, and how she was able to guide the parties to resolution. Carmen refers to the process she went through in determining what it would take to settle this case as the process of peeling an onion.

Season 05 Episode 03
Bette Epstein, Esq. has been mediating trust and estate disputes since 2000, following a remarkable career as a trust and estate litigator, and is highly regarded as one of the Bay Area’s leading probate specialists. In this episode, Bette shares the story of a conflict between the widow of a wealthy man whose intent was to ensure that his widow (who provided all the necessary care for him in his lengthy last illness) would be able to maintain the lifestyle she had previously enjoyed with her husband after his death, and his sons from a previous marriage, who were the co-trustees of the trust set up to support the widow. Listen to find out how she was able to guide the parties to a resolution.

Season 05 Episode 02
Steve Cerveris is a full-time, independent mediator and principal of CERVERIS MEDIATION. Assisting his clients through the emotionally and economically draining, time-consuming challenges of litigation earlier in his 40-year career ultimately led Steve to pursue the field of alternate dispute resolution for the past 25 years. His goal was and is to help people embroiled in litigation find a more humane, positive way to resolve conflict. In this episode, Steve relates the story of children in a church school, their molestation by a trusted pastor, and the devastating effect molestation had on their lives and relationships. The complicated mediation was not only effective in settling a lawsuit, but was also able to provide a means by which healing could begin, in part, through institutional changes.

Season 05 Episode 01
Welcome back for a brand new season of Masters of Dispute Resolution! Joining Len is returning guest Phyllis W. Cheng, Esq., former Director of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the largest state civil rights agency in the United States. In this episode, Phyllis tells the story of a man in his twenties, alone in a cell in a jail run by a firm under contract with a governmental agency. Activity in the cell was recorded by a video camera, where he was observed to be sleeping and exercising. It then abruptly showed him in pain with contusions, a black eye, and other injuries, with the man unable to remember what happened to him. What happened to cause these injuries? How did Phyllis guide the parties to resolution?

In the first four seasons of Masters of Dispute Resolution, host Len Levy and his expert guests have not only made it their mission to share how mediation has brought about resolution but also to educate. Not just educate by giving attorneys, mediators, and others tools to perform their respective roles more effectively, but also to illustrate that kindness, dignity, and empathy all carry with them great healing powers. Tune in to hear Len's preview of Season 5, looking forward to more compelling stories of how lives have been changed by those who strive to make a difference.

Season 04 Episode 12
Bob Friedenberg, a full-time Mediator and Arbitrator on the Panel of Neutrals of ADR Services, Inc., and a former litigator, educator, and track coach, has 40 years of legal experience, the last 20 of which have been exclusively as a full-time mediator, arbitrator and discovery referee and special master. He has handled well over 2,000 cases through his years of experience. In this episode, Bob joins Len to tell the story of a dispute about a defective remodeled home and what it took to deal with the complex construction and insurance issues standing in the way of resolution.

Season 04 Episode 11
Steven A. Block, Esq. is a highly experienced mediator, arbitrator, special master, and referee. In this episode Steve tells the story of conflicts within a family, owners of a very successful farm operation, headed by two brothers and founded by their grandparents a century before. That conflict jeopardized not only the ability to continue their legacy business, but also their relationships within the family. Listen and learn how a master mediator helped the parties overcome considerable obstacles to resolution.

Season 04 Episode 10
Brad Bening is one of the most effective and well-regarded neutrals in Northern California. He has successfully mediated more than 2,000 cases throughout his career. In this episode, Brad shares the story of a conflict that arose in the aftermath of a wealthy man’s death when his family learned that he had fathered additional children, including two with an employee of his firm, born 11 months after his death, and what it took to resolve that conflict in mediation.

Season 04 Episode 09
Patrick M. Kelly is one of the pre-eminent trial lawyers, litigators, law firm leaders, and professional association leaders in the country. He has vast experience in numerous substantive areas that he will bring to bear in efficiently, effectively, and economically resolving matters as a mediator, arbitrator, or referee. In this episode, Pat tells the story of a complex probate dispute, what he did to help the parties reach a resolution recognized by the parties as fair and in everyone’s best interests, and what it takes to achieve satisfying outcomes.

Season 04 Episode 08
Jeanne Behling, Esq. is a seasoned mediator, having successfully resolved hundreds of disputes since commencing her full-time mediation practice in 2016. In this episode, Jeanne joins Len to tell the story of a truck driver whose injuries had him facing the end of a career that not only provided support for his family, but was also tied to his feeling of self-worth, and the obstacles Jeanne helped the parties overcome to achieve a settlement by helping an injured man embrace the changes in his life and maintain his dignity.

Season 04 Episode 07
Scott Dickinson, Esq. has mediated nearly 3500 cases, and brings to his nearly 20 year highly successful mediation practice experience as a trial lawyer representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of civil matters. In this episode, Scott tells the story of an 85-year-old man injured in a motor vehicle accident and what it took to not only overcome unrealistic expectations, but also to discern and deal with the emotional impediments to reaching a resolution.

Season 04 Episode 06
Lance A. LaBelle, Esq. is a highly regarded mediator, arbitrator, and insurance expert with experience handling all forms of insurance matters. In this conversation with Len, Lance tells the story of a dog attack that resulted not only in devastating injuries to those bitten but also potentially affected the life of the dog owner’s lessor. Lance demonstrates how he was able to help the parties overcome numerous impediments including issues of coverage, policy limits, an insurance company’s potential insolvency and an impending summary judgment motion to reach a resolution.

Season 04 Episode 05
Steven Paul, Esq. is a full-time mediator based in Los Angeles, California, primarily mediating labor and employment disputes including discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and wage and hour individual and class action claims. Steve is a Distinguished Fellow and the Immediate Past President of the International Academy of Mediators and in this episode, joins Len to tell the story of a camera hidden in a women’s room in a workplace, the impact the invasion of privacy had on the lives and careers of the women whose images were captured, and the mediation that allowed them to begin the healing process.

Season 04 Episode 04
Retired Judge Joe Hilberman, one of the most highly regarded mediators and arbitrators in the field, is known for his deep knowledge of the mediation process, as well as being creative and insightful. In this episode, Judge Hilberman joins Len Levy to share the story of a mother’s loss of her daughter in a fatal car crash with an unmarked police car, the mediation he conducted, and what it took to overcome the obstacles to resolution.

Season 04 Episode 03
Phyllis W. Cheng, Esq., has excelled at every stage of her career. As the former Director of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the largest state civil rights agency in the United States, she oversaw some of the largest settlements in DFEH history. In this episode, Ms. Cheng joins Len to tell the story of a viral video of an arrest in the aftermath of the May 2020 protests, a civil rights lawsuit by the citizen who created the video, who claimed police retaliation for her having done so, and the unique opportunity to accomplish, through mediation, what both parties could not have achieved through a trial.

Season 04 Episode 02
Jeff Trueman, a two-time guest on Masters of Dispute Resolution, and Len Levy switch roles in this episode. Jeff interviews Len as he tells the story of two musicians who split up and no longer communicated after the cancellation of a television show featuring a theme song composed and sung by the two. Many years later, the show was picked up in syndication, and they could not agree on the division of royalty payments. Did mediation solve their dispute? The answer may surprise you.

Season 04 Episode 01
Steve Sepassi is a highly accomplished professional in handling a wide range of legal matters, including personal injury, school liability, real estate, landlord-tenant, commercial, and insurance cases. We begin our fourth season with Steve sharing the story of a mediation between a school district and a former student, almost 40 years after a principal entered into a sexual relationship with him, the effect of that molestation, and how the matter was resolved in mediation.

Season 03 Episode 12
Since 1987, Sanford Jossen has mediated and arbitrated thousands of cases across a broad spectrum of civil litigation matters. In this episode, Sandy shares the story of a musician who, in the middle of the pandemic, left his rent-controlled apartment to act as caretaker for his ailing mother in another city, returning to the apartment a year later only to find the building was being renovated and all his belongings were missing. A trial of the issues was to commence between the musician, the elderly owner, her daughter, and an insurance company in four days when Sandy was called upon to mediate the matter.

Season 03 Episode 11
In January 2003, Alan Saler launched what quickly became a thriving mediation practice. He has always enjoyed the luxury of being an independent, full-time provider of mediation services. As a mediator, he draws on his considerable prior legal experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of litigation matters. In this episode, Alan shares the story of two heroic people who died attempting to rescue the driver of a car involved in an accident, how their deaths impacted their families, and how Alan was able to help the families through mediation

Season 03 Episode 10
Eric Galton has been a Texas attorney for 47 years and a full-time mediator for 35 years and has mediated nearly 8000 cases in 22 states and 16 foreign nations. He is a Distinguished Credentialed Mediator with the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association and a past president of the International Academy of Mediators. In this episode, Eric tells the story about the mediation of a case involving 450 hemophiliacs, a blood transfusion product manufactured by four of the largest pharma companies on the planet that infected the parties and loved ones with HIV, and how setting up the mediation for success led to resolution.

Season 03 Episode 09
Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA, left a successful career as a trial lawyer to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity on many levels, doing so as an award-winning author, teacher, trainer, and highly experienced mediator. In this episode, Doug tells the story of a divorced couple engaged in a dispute ostensibly about the use of money that had been in a trust fund, how their emotions had escalated the conflict, and the discovery of the power of affect labeling not only to resolve their dispute but also to change people’s lives.

Season 03 Episode 08
Michael G. Balmages, Esq. is an accomplished mediator and discovery referee with extensive experience as a trial lawyer, general counsel, and transactional lawyer. As a mediator and neutral, he has had great success in helping litigants resolve their disputes in more than 1,000 cases. In this episode, Michael tells the story of a litigated matter, its effect on the parties’ long-term relationship, the price paid in both monetary and non-monetary respects, and why two mediations failed to result in settlement.

Season 03 Episode 07
Phyllis W. Cheng, Esq., has excelled at every stage of her career. For nearly seven years, Ms. Cheng was Director of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the largest state civil rights agency in the United States, where she oversaw the largest settlements in DFEH history. In this episode, Phyllis joins Len to tell the moving story of a university student whose life was disrupted by a false accusation of sexual assault, a denial of due process by the university, and his suspension as a student. Through an agreement reached in mediation, he was able to move forward with his life.

Season 03 Episode 06
Jeff Trueman, Esq., is an experienced, full-time mediator and arbitrator. Specializing in interpersonal conflict, he is well known as a manager of difficult conversations. Jeff joins Len Levy to tell the story of a family reunion suddenly becoming transformed from a joyous occasion to one of life-changing injury and grief and how the mediation Jeff conducted was instrumental in removing the impediments preventing the injured parties from obtaining the help they needed to cope with their injuries and help them heal.

Season 03 Episode 05
Wendy Kramer, a full-time neutral on the ADR Services, Inc. panel of neutrals, is one of the most sought-after mediators with a reputation for being highly effective in bringing parties to resolution. In this episode, Wendy joins Len to tell the story of a gay high school student, long bullied and subsequently physically injured by his tormentor, the misdiagnosis that exacerbated the injury, and the power of apology and remorse in a mediation that made healing possible in some very surprising ways.

Season 03 Episode 04
Lee Jay Berman became a full-time Los Angeles mediator 28 years ago and has since mediated over 2,500 cases. As an AAA Master Mediator panelist for employment matters and on AAA’s national roster for commercial and construction disputes, he trains mediators through the American Institute of Mediation locally and worldwide. In this episode, Lee Jay tells the story of a successful business, embezzlement, and whether the parties could agree to a business dissolution without killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

Season 03 Episode 03
As one of the most effective mediators and professors of mediation, Stacie Feldman Hausner has impressed attorneys, their clients, and fellow mediators with her deep knowledge of the intricacies of the mediation process and her ability to apply those concepts successfully. In this episode, Stacie tells the story of two longtime friends and a business opportunity gone wrong, resulting in an emotional dispute that affected their friendship, families, and community, and the healing made possible by mediation.

Season 03 Episode 02
Mark Baer is an attorney who works as a mediator, conflict resolution consultant, coach, trainer, and educator on implicit bias and emotional intelligence. His approach to conflict recognizes that emotion impacts decision-making and that the litigation process itself often incites rather than calms harmful emotions. In his conversation with Len, Mark conveys the story of a married couple who are also business partners, how bias caused conflict in both their business and personal relationship, and what it took to change that trajectory.

Season 03 Episode 01
As an exceptionally skilled mediator, Claudia Hagadus Long has mediated over 3000 cases and is currently a member of the ADR Services, Inc. panel of mediators. To begin our third season, this master storyteller and mediator shares with Len the fascinating story of a highly qualified nurse, terminated from her job for making a statement taken as a threat and what occurred during the 4-day mediation conducted by Claudia which reconciled the seemingly irreconcilable.

Season 02 Episode 12
Caroline C. Vincent, Esq., a pioneer attorney neutral in Southern California, has mediated and arbitrated well over 2,700 matters during her distinguished 27-year neutral career. Her broad legal background with some of California’s most prestigious firms, superb interpersonal skills, keen intellect, and perseverance make her a preferred choice for both plaintiff and defense attorneys in a wide variety of practice areas. Caroline’s conversation with Len delves into resolution of cases where personal and business concerns are driving the conflict.

Season 02 Episode 11
Lance A. LaBelle, Esq. is a highly regarded mediator, arbitrator, and insurance expert with experience in all forms of insurance matters. Before embarking on a career as a full-time neutral, he practiced law as an AV-rated attorney for over 30 years, handling a wide variety of matters and specializing in insurance cases. In his conversation with Len, Lance provides insights into how to overcome the impediments necessary to resolve not only habitability cases but also others in which insurance issues must be addressed.

Season 02 Episode 10
Phyllis W. Cheng, Esq., has excelled at every stage of her career. For nearly seven years, Ms. Cheng was Director of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the largest state civil rights agency in the United States, where she oversaw the largest settlements in DFEH history. In this not to be missed episode, Len and Phyllis discuss creative approaches to resolution and what mediation participants can accomplish if they enter into the process open to a problem-solving approach.

Season 02 Episode 09
Judge Michael Marcus (Ret.) has a well-deserved reputation throughout California as a skilled, personable, forceful mediator and a fair and impartial arbitrator, having been honored by the Daily Journal as a “Top Neutral” for six years and as a “Southern California Super Lawyer” since 2008, and brings an extremely broad legal background to his ADR practice. In this conversation, Judge Marcus provides his perspective on the tools a retired judge uses to effectively assist the parties in reaching resolution.

Season 02 Episode 08
Mark LeHocky is a mediator and arbitrator with ADR Services, Inc. who previously served as general counsel to Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Inc. and Ross Stores, Inc., spent two decades litigating commercial, IP, antitrust, class action, and other disputes for clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies, and began mediating over twenty years ago. In this discussion with Len, Mark helps you understand what you need to do in mediation when a general counsel is involved in the decision-making process.

Season 02 Episode 07
Michael G. Balmages, Esq. is an accomplished mediator and discovery referee with extensive experience as a trial lawyer, general counsel, and transactional lawyer. As a mediator and neutral, he has had great success in helping litigants resolve their disputes in more than 1,000 cases. In this conversation with Len, Michael, an avid astronomer, discusses the importance of process to the understanding of how to resolve disputes and whether there is anything in common between law and astronomy.

Season 02 Episode 06
Randy Even brings over 40 years of legal experience (with a specialty in medical malpractice, elder abuse, and complex medical issues) to his dispute resolution practice, acting as a mediator, arbitrator, or settlement officer in over 1,000 cases with an impressive rate of resolution. In this conversation with Len, Randy draws on his extensive experience to provide insights that will help anyone representing clients in medical malpractice, elder abuse, and other medically related cases achieve better results.

Season 02 Episode 05
Jan Frankel Schau settles litigated cases arising out of employment and tort disputes with humanity, skill, and intelligence. With over twenty years of experience as a mediator, following a twenty-year career as a litigator, she has a unique ability to understand and evaluate both sides of a conflict. Jan joins Len Levy in an informative and valuable discussion highlighting the benefits of early mediation in employment disputes and how changing workplace dynamics and new laws make doing so more compelling.

Season 02 Episode 04
experienced, full-time mediator and arbitrator. Specializing in interpersonal conflict, he is well known as a manager of difficult conversations. Jeff joins Len Levy for an enlightening discussion of important considerations for attorneys and mediators alike to avoid potential pitfalls when participating in mediations that might be governed by the rules and statutes of different jurisdictions.

Season 02 Episode 03
Glenn Barger’s accomplished career as a trial attorney and mediator has gained him recognition as a Super Lawyer. He is ranked as one of the Best Lawyers in America, with extensive experience in multiple complex bodily injury, professional liability, and construction matters, as well as mass-tort, business, and employment cases. Glenn brings considerable insight and expertise to his work as a mediator and shares his insider’s view of essentials when dealing with insurance in this conversation with Len Levy.

Season 02 Episode 02
Robert Mann’s technical expertise in real estate and construction is unmatched, with his experience as a trial lawyer and mediator and his hands-on knowledge from supervising major construction projects. In this episode, Bob joins Len Levy in a conversation about mediating construction and construction defect cases, essentials often overlooked by attorneys, and the landmines to avoid while reaching resolution. Furthermore, his insights on insurance issues turn this discussion into a mini-seminar on mediating insurance cases.

Season 02 Episode 01
Mayra Fornos brings her considerable expertise as a neutral and accomplished litigator with three decades of experience handling a wide range of civil matters, including catastrophic personal injury. In her conversation with Len, Mayra discusses, among other things, the use of experts and how to prepare the most effective presentation in a mediation context, preparing your client, and how to get the other side to see things through a different lens.

Season 01 Episode 12
Alan Saler has enjoyed a thriving practice as a neutral since founding Alan Saler Mediation Services in 2003. He has mediated more than 3,000 civil cases and disputes and consistently achieves resolution through his legal analysis, evaluative skills, meticulous preparation, and tenacity. Alan joins Len for an informative discussion that includes parties’ expectations and how attorneys can best provide the information needed to obtain optimal results for clients

Season 01 Episode 11
Mitch Tarighati, a seasoned mediator with an exceptional track record of settled cases, has been engaged in dispute resolution work since 2012, resolving cases with complex issues by diplomatically and patiently bridging the divide between the parties. Join Len and Mitch as they discuss what to do when emotions dominate, parties see the other as the primary problem, or where no settlement is possible unless a personal reconciliation occurs.

Season 01 Episode 10
Ana Sambold, a leading figure in California in alternative dispute resolution, is a fully bilingual Attorney, Mediator, and Arbitrator. She has successfully conducted more than a thousand mediations and arbitrations involving complex cases in both English and Spanish. In this episode, Len and Ana discuss approaches to overcoming impediments to resolution involving language or cultural influences.

Season 01 Episode 09
Michael Diliberto is an internationally recognized mediator and arbitrator, practicing full-time since 2003. He is an expert at working with complex facts and legal issues, as well as in cross-cultural dynamics. You will not want to miss Michael's discussion with Len about how his widely varied background assists in creating value, helping attorneys help their clients, and the role of civility in the mediation process.

Season 01 Episode 08
Judge Jacqueline Connor (Ret.) has gained a reputation for her ability to connect with parties on a straightforward and honest level. Her vast legal knowledge and fearless approach have led to successful resolutions in the most difficult of cases. In this episode, Judge Connor and Len discuss the role of the mediator, how mediators gain the trust of the parties and attorneys, and helping those in dispute to understand the trial process.

Season 01 Episode 07
Lee Jay Berman became a full-time Los Angeles mediator 27 years ago. He has since mediated over 2,500 cases and is an International Academy of Mediators’ Distinguished Fellow and a National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (NADN) Charter Diplomat. In this discussion, Lee Jay and Len explore how to more effectively resolve disputes by changing the conversation and addressing issues other than money.

Season 01 Episode 06
As one of the most effective mediators and professors of mediation, Stacie Feldman Hausner has impressed attorneys, their clients, and fellow mediators with her deep knowledge of the intricacies of the mediation process. In this highly informative discussion, Stacie and Len share techniques used by the most effective attorneys to resolve matters while balancing the attorney’s dual role of strong advocate and counselor.