Life on the Farm
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.
The Case of the Posthumous Pregnancy
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.
Putting in the Work to Resolve a Complex Conflict
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.
Injury and Dignity
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.
The Cranky Old Guy
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.
A Dog Bites Two with Devastating Effect
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.
The Camera Captured Their Images and Disrupted Their Lives
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.
A Tragic Crash: Helping Ease a Mother’s Loss
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.
Civil Rights and the Case of the Viral Video
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.
The Duet Hits a Sour Note: Getting Back in Tune
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.
