Mediation

In 1994, Mr. Turner received his Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine’s Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, which is consistently ranked as the top ADR program in the United States.  He also attended the Strauss Institute’s six-day course entitled “Mediation and the Art of Facilitating Settlement” in 2011.  Mr. Turner mediates matters involving business disputes, personal injury, insurance policies and coverage, bad faith and contracts.

Mr. Turner is fluent in Spanish and has lived and worked for extended periods in Latin American countries. Through his experiences abroad, Mr. Turner has developed a profound understanding of Latin American cultural dynamics – a critical advantage when it comes to gathering information, exploring positions and achieving resolution in cross-cultural mediation settings.

Mr. Turner’s approach to problem solving is based on the principles of active listening, honest feedback and – above all – faithful adherence to each party’s confidences and instructions.  Because he believes that a frank assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a party’s position creates realistic expectations and ultimately facilitates resolution, Mr. Turner often takes an evaluative approach to the issues in dispute.  His involvement in the process starts long before the parties convene for mediation: weeks prior to each session, Mr. Turner personally contacts each attorney or representative to discuss the facts of the case and any intangibles that might be helpful in understanding the parties’ relative positions.  He fully reads and evaluates each brief well before the mediation session so that no time is wasted in addressing the issues that are important to the parties.  Once the mediation process has begun, Mr. Turner will explore every realistic opportunity for settlement to achieve the best resolution possible for all sides.