Meeting Challenges. Managing Change.

Mediation and Legal Services in New York

Meeting Challenges

Mediation is a voluntary process in which the parties to a dispute have an opportunity to discuss their differences and arrive at a resolution with the help of a mediator. The mediator is a trained neutral who role is to facilitate the discussion so that the parties can express their viewpoints, needs, and preferences. The mediator does not decide who is right or wrong and does not provide legal advice. The mediation process is a way for the parties to reveal the issues raised by their situation and to discover options that will enable them to resolve their differences. At the conclusion of a successful mediation, the parties will have agreed upon terms and conditions resolving the dispute.

Managing Change

Mediation allows parties to be the masters of their own conflict and its resolution.  For that reason mediation may be particularly appropriate for situations where great value is placed on relationships, history, and the effects of the conflict (and its resolution) on others. These situations typically include divorce, separation, custody, child support and parenting as well as closely held and family business disputes, and disputes between long-standing business or trading partners. Non-adversarial resolution of these kinds of disputes can preserve relationships even as their character may change and increase the possibility of a brighter post-dispute future.

Virtual Mediation

I have conducted scores of virtual mediations before, during, and after court proceedings. Using simple, readily available internet technology, this process provides maximum scheduling flexibility in a format that is conducive to a full, productive exploration and solution of the issues that parties want to resolve. I have conducted more than 50 virtual mediations in cases in New York City Family Court as well as numerous cases in other New York courts and in private practice.

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Alexander J. Zimmer

I am an experienced mediator, having devoted many years serving families and individuals in  a range of conflict situations including matrimonial, co-parenting, custody, and visitation disputes.

I serve on a number of mediation rosters in New York Supreme Court and NYC Family Court Mediation Program Panel. My work has focused on helping clients find solutions for managing change and resolving conflict in a wide variety of situations and industries.

I am a member of the Mediation Committee and the Mediation Advocacy Committee of the Dispute Resolution Section of the New York State Bar Association, and the Family Law Section. I have served as a Board Member and past Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Federal Bar Association, and as a past Editor of The Resolver, the Section’s
newsletter. I also have been a member of the Ethics Committee of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and am Chair Emeritus of the MSKCC Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality.

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