New Jersey Mediation Association of Professional Mediators’ Virtual Spring Seminar, "Foundations and Frontiers" with Dr. Clare Fowler, is Set for Friday, May 1, 2026
New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators’ virtual seminar, “Foundations and Frontiers,” is on Friday, May 1, 2026, featuring Dr. Clare Fowler’s “Your Brain on Conflict.” Topics include mediation basics, new challenges, ethics, and breakout sessions with civil and divorce mediation tracks. Early registration ends on April 10. The event is open to all interested parties and offers CLE credits and networking opportunities.
Montclair, NJ, March 26, 2026 --(PR.com)-- New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators (NJAPM) will hold its 11th Annual Civil and Divorce Mediation Spring Seminar on Friday, May 1, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM as a virtual event. Co-chaired by Anju D. Jessani and Katherine Newcomer, this year’s theme, “Foundations and Frontiers,” covers mediation fundamentals alongside modern challenges facing practitioners. NJAPM invites members and the public to attend, and welcomes college and graduate students who can blend academic learning with the real life experiences our members will share.
The morning plenary session will open with a greeting from NJAPM president Richard Herman and NJAPM Executive Director, Barbara Silverstone. They state that, “NJAPM is proud to have so many distinguished leaders in the field of mediation as members and note that over 20 NJAPM members will be presenting at this seminar, including many new members.”
Anna-Maria Pittella will set the tone of the seminar with a mock mediation of a couple who own a business together, played by Donna Scallo and Scott Orr, going through a divorce. Their conflict is having a spillover effect on the business and their children. Anna-Maria will have an initial session to avoid a “War of the Roses” as the couple plans their transition for their family and their business.
Featured speaker, Dr. Clare Fowler, Executive Vice-President, and Managing Editor at Mediate.com, Vice President of Customer Success at Odr.com, mediator and trainer, will offer insight into how the brain processes conflict and what that means for mediators in practice in an interactive presentation entitled “Your Brain on Conflict.”
Following an optional networking lunch, all attendees will attend an ethics workshop, “Truthfulness, Conflicts of Interests, and Perspectives from Future Mediators on the National Implications of Opinion 518.” It will be led by retired New Jersey family court judge, the Hon. Lawrence Jones, and the presenters will include Joni Jones, Bruce Matez, and two law school students. Attendees will then choose either the civil or divorce mediation breakout sessions:
The first set of breakouts will include:
· Civil Track: “The Mediator’s Proposal and How to Use It” with Steven M. Bierman, Michelle Cresti, Robert Lenrow, and Evelyn Pentikis (moderator)
· Divorce Track - Hot Topics:
1. “The New NJ Custody Statute (S4510/A5761)” with Shaindy Black and Lynn Norcia, and
2. “Find Me the Money: Assets Hiding in Plain Sight” with Anju D. Jessani and Jeffrey Urbach
The second set of breakouts will include:
· Civil Track: "Better Practices for Mediating a Business Breakup" with Richard Herman, Peter Phillips, and Mitsu Rajda (moderator)
· Divorce Track – Hot Topics
3. “Financial Considerations in Mediation: Grey Divorces” with Gary Borger and Diana Longo, and
4. “Mediating Pre- and Post-Nups: Perils and Pitfalls” with Aleida A. Piccini de Velazquez, and Elena Weitz
The program is approved for 5.7 New Jersey Continuing Legal Education Credits including one ethics credit and meets the annual R. 1:40 NJ Court Roster CLE requirement. The registration for members and government employees is $164 and for nonmembers is $210. If you register before April 10, you can save $30 on registration. Full-time students are encouraged to attend the seminar with a discounted admission of $85 with identification. NJAPM membership is open to all interested parties; prorated dues through September 30, 2026, are $80 with the code PRO-RATE. Please register or join NJAPM at www.NJAPM.org. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact ExecutiveDirector@NJAPM.org to support the seminar and promote your business or just register at the www.NJAPM.org.
About NJAPM
NJAPM is New Jersey’s only professional mediator organization, with approximately three hundred members including attorneys and professionals in the fields of mental health, finance, and business. Its mission is to foster excellence in mediation, promote mediation as the preferred method of dispute resolution, educate the public and professionals about mediation, and protect the public through standards of conduct and accreditation for mediators. The organization holds a virtual annual spring seminar, an in-person annual fall conference, monthly webinars and county peer group meetings, and a weekly case consultation hour. For more information, to find a mediator, or to contact NJAPM, go to their website at www.NJAPM.org or call 800-981-4800.
The morning plenary session will open with a greeting from NJAPM president Richard Herman and NJAPM Executive Director, Barbara Silverstone. They state that, “NJAPM is proud to have so many distinguished leaders in the field of mediation as members and note that over 20 NJAPM members will be presenting at this seminar, including many new members.”
Anna-Maria Pittella will set the tone of the seminar with a mock mediation of a couple who own a business together, played by Donna Scallo and Scott Orr, going through a divorce. Their conflict is having a spillover effect on the business and their children. Anna-Maria will have an initial session to avoid a “War of the Roses” as the couple plans their transition for their family and their business.
Featured speaker, Dr. Clare Fowler, Executive Vice-President, and Managing Editor at Mediate.com, Vice President of Customer Success at Odr.com, mediator and trainer, will offer insight into how the brain processes conflict and what that means for mediators in practice in an interactive presentation entitled “Your Brain on Conflict.”
Following an optional networking lunch, all attendees will attend an ethics workshop, “Truthfulness, Conflicts of Interests, and Perspectives from Future Mediators on the National Implications of Opinion 518.” It will be led by retired New Jersey family court judge, the Hon. Lawrence Jones, and the presenters will include Joni Jones, Bruce Matez, and two law school students. Attendees will then choose either the civil or divorce mediation breakout sessions:
The first set of breakouts will include:
· Civil Track: “The Mediator’s Proposal and How to Use It” with Steven M. Bierman, Michelle Cresti, Robert Lenrow, and Evelyn Pentikis (moderator)
· Divorce Track - Hot Topics:
1. “The New NJ Custody Statute (S4510/A5761)” with Shaindy Black and Lynn Norcia, and
2. “Find Me the Money: Assets Hiding in Plain Sight” with Anju D. Jessani and Jeffrey Urbach
The second set of breakouts will include:
· Civil Track: "Better Practices for Mediating a Business Breakup" with Richard Herman, Peter Phillips, and Mitsu Rajda (moderator)
· Divorce Track – Hot Topics
3. “Financial Considerations in Mediation: Grey Divorces” with Gary Borger and Diana Longo, and
4. “Mediating Pre- and Post-Nups: Perils and Pitfalls” with Aleida A. Piccini de Velazquez, and Elena Weitz
The program is approved for 5.7 New Jersey Continuing Legal Education Credits including one ethics credit and meets the annual R. 1:40 NJ Court Roster CLE requirement. The registration for members and government employees is $164 and for nonmembers is $210. If you register before April 10, you can save $30 on registration. Full-time students are encouraged to attend the seminar with a discounted admission of $85 with identification. NJAPM membership is open to all interested parties; prorated dues through September 30, 2026, are $80 with the code PRO-RATE. Please register or join NJAPM at www.NJAPM.org. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact ExecutiveDirector@NJAPM.org to support the seminar and promote your business or just register at the www.NJAPM.org.
About NJAPM
NJAPM is New Jersey’s only professional mediator organization, with approximately three hundred members including attorneys and professionals in the fields of mental health, finance, and business. Its mission is to foster excellence in mediation, promote mediation as the preferred method of dispute resolution, educate the public and professionals about mediation, and protect the public through standards of conduct and accreditation for mediators. The organization holds a virtual annual spring seminar, an in-person annual fall conference, monthly webinars and county peer group meetings, and a weekly case consultation hour. For more information, to find a mediator, or to contact NJAPM, go to their website at www.NJAPM.org or call 800-981-4800.
Contact
New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators
Barbara Silverstone, Esq.
800-981-4800
www.njapm.org
Barbara Silverstone, Esq.
800-981-4800
www.njapm.org
Contact
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