Proper briefing is a critical element in the success of any mediation.  It helps ensure that things go smoothly for your client,  puts your arguments in the best possible light, and makes you look good, driving repeat business and referrals.  We'll discuss best practices in briefing, with a particular eye toward how briefing has changed since mediations went online.    Proper briefing saves time, saves money, and helps drive the highest-possible settlement rate.  Join us and learn from two prominent SoCal mediators how you can make your briefs the best they can be.  We'll reserve time at the end for your questions.

About the Speakers

Stacie Feldman Hausner, Esq. has mediated full time since 2015. She has successfully mediated more than 1,500 cases in the areas of personal injury, civil rights, employment, business, real estate, insurance coverage, construction defect, malpractice, entertainment, and intellectual property law. She has an exceptionally high settlement rate due to her tenacity, calm and friendly demeanor, creative “out of the box” thinking, and keen insight. Ms. Hausner draws on her broad mediation experience, as well as her extensive study and understanding of the fields of negotiation and mediation. After an extensive career as a litigator, practicing law at both defense and plaintiff firms, Ms. Hausner launched her mediation practice because she understood the perspectives and interests of the opposing sides to a dispute, as well as the benefits of alternative dispute resolution. She received an LL.M. in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law, and prior to joining ADR Services, Inc., she successfully mediated more than one hundred settlement conferences for the Los Angeles Superior Court. In addition, she has spent considerable time mediating for the Central District of the United States District Court, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, and the Center for Conflict Resolution.

Mark Lemke, Esq., LL.M., is a highly-experienced commercial mediator who’s conducted nearly 3,000 mediations.  He brings a unique combination of experience, having served as plaintiffs' counsel, defense counsel, and insurance coverage counsel.  He specializes in employment, housing, personal injury, & wrongful death cases.  In addition, he serves on the Adjunct Faculty for the Straus Institute and USC Law School’s Employment Mediation Clinic.  Mark holds an LL.M. from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, J.D. from USC Law School, and B.A. from UC Berkeley.  He serves on panels for the EEOC, CRD (formerly DFEH), Central District Court, Courts of Appeal, and others.  He also serves as a Temporary Judge and Judicial Settlement Officer.  Mark is a frequent speaker on mediation topics.  He previously served as President of SCMA, and Co-President of the LGBTQ+ Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.  He was recently inducted into the prestigious International Academy of Mediators (IAM), an invitation-only cadre of the world’s best mediators.