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Susan Bulfinch
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I have served as a collaborative Attorney, Mediator and Trainer for over 25 years. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with individuals, families, and organizations to assist in resolving their issues through emotionally intelligent, ethical mediation practice and training.


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IMI Certified Mediator
United States
Arizona
Community, Discrimination and harassment, Employment, Family, Injury, Workplace
English
AAA - American Arbitration Association
Mediation Profile

Susan Bulfinch is a professional mediator and trainer in private practice. She serves as a Mediator in matters involving employment and workplace, family, tort and personal injury, breach of contract and commercial business issues. She is a member of the American Arbitration Association's Roster of Mediators serving on the Employment Mediation Panel. She also mediates and arbitrates attorney-client fee disputes. Ms. Bulfinch is licensed to practice law in California and Massachusetts; however, her speciality is mediation and ADR. She has over 20 years experience in law and dispute resolution and has extensive teaching experience in alternative dispute resolution. Her legal experience is in the areas of family and employment. Susan has served as a consulting attorney in over 40 cases where a client has chosen mediation. Susan studied International Law at Salzburg University through an internship program at McGeorge School of Law. 

Ms. Bulfinch has mediated over 700 civil cases. She has experience successfully mediating a wide range of workplace disputes between manaagers, supervisors and employees, allegations of sexual harassment, claims of wrongful termination, violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (accommodation issues), and claims of discrimination based on race, sex, religion and age under Title VII. She also mediates business concerns, homeowner association issues, bankruptcy, personal injury, elder, all family-related matters (support, custody, property division), and insurance. Susan has mediated numerous earthquake damage cases between residential homeowners/insured and insurance company representatives. As a former Complaints Manager for the City of Boston, Susan was responsible for training staff to handle complaints of consumer fraud, invasion of privacy, merchant-vendor, automobile, and landlord/tenant. Bankruptcy disputes involved issues of discharge-ability of debt. Susan is a certified mediator for many state and federal agencies.

Success in mediation depends in large part on the attitude of the parties and the issues presented. Mediation is a collaborative negotiation process; and, my role is to facilitate communication and identify areas of agreement to promote resolution. I strive to maintain a respectful environment conducive to constructive dialogue and adapt my style (facilitative, evaluative, or transformative) to the needs of the parties. When counsel is present, often the parties are looking for a mediator who will use an evaluative reality-testing approach that can be useful. Typically, I begin with a joint session using a facilitative approach and proceed with caucus as necessary. In complex litigated cases, parties are asked to submit a brief Mediation Statement, in advance. Often, parties have not had the opportunity to fully explore the issues with each other and mediation provides a neutral forum for seeking common ground.

Workplace and Employment, Sexual Harassment, Family, Elder, Business and Partnership, Consumer, Community, Personal Injury, and Tort cases

$350.00 per hour; no cancellation fee

American Arbitration Association Employment Mediation Panel, Association for Conflict Resolution Workplace and Family Sections, Arizona Association for Conflict Resolution (President, 2008-2009), Business and Professional Women, Metropolitan Chapter (Co-president, 2009-2010), Maricopa County Association of Family Mediators (Secretary, 2009-2010), Arizona Women Lawyers Association; Scottsdale Bar Association (ADR Section), Southern California Mediation Association (Past President, 1998), Beverly Hills Bar Association (past Chair of the ADR section, 1997). 
Mediation Panels: California Department of Insurance, U.S. Postal Service REDRESS Program, Maricopa County Justice Courts, CLC Mediation Program.

Training and Education

Over 600 hours of training in mediation, arbitration, negotiation and alternative dispute resolution. 2009 AZ State Bar Annual Convention: Guerilla Mediation: Agreements in the Real World; and, The Changing Landscape of Labor and Employment Law; AZ State Bar ADR Section: Mediating Complex Multi-Party Disputes, 2009; AZ State Bar: Private Arbitration Update, 2008; Assessing Four Types of Intimate Partner Violence and Impact on Children, 2009; 2008 ACR annual conference: Special ADR Processes, Forms and Information; AZ Women Lawyers Association: Introduction to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Mediation Program, 2008; United States Postal Service, REDRESS Program Mediator Training: Transformative Mediation Principles and Practice Skills, 2007; AZ State Bar ADR Section: Apology and the Resolution of Employment Disputes, 2007; AZ Assn. of Family and Conciliation Courts: Assessing Parenting Competence, 2007; Advanced Team Skills in Communication Skills and Collaborative Team Development, 2006; Mediation Training Institute International: Managing Workplace Conflict, 2003; Interdisciplinary Training in Collaborative Divorce, 2001; Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law: The Masters Forum, 2003; Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District: Advanced Mediation Training, 2002.

Ms. Bulfinch designed the curriculum and serves as an Instructor in the new Mediation and Dispute Resolution Professional Certificate Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has taught mediation, negotiation and facilitation courses at the University of California, Irvine and Communication for Managers at California Lutheran University. 
Susan is a frequent lecturer on mediation and was the Conference Coordinator for two recent conferences dedicated to improving civil debate and dialogue for Project Civil Discourse in Phoenix, Arizona: Can We Talk? Tools for Creating Civil Discourse (2008) and Can We Talk? Moving Talk to Action (2009). 

Publications

Co-author, "When Mediation Meets Litigation: Cross-Over Dangers," AMERICAN JOURNAL OF FAMILY LAW, Aspen Law & Business, 1998.
"Mediator John Wade Talks About ADR in Australia," BAR BRIEF, Beverly Hills Bar Association, 1995.

Compliance

IMI Code of Professional Conduct

IMI Professional Conduct Assessment Process

Complete Equity Markets, Inc., $300,000.

Contact
Susan Bulfinch
00-1-480-209-1296
United States
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