Mediator Resume

A dispute resolution professional with more than two and a half decades of experience guiding families through legally and emotionally complex transitions. Practice focuses on matrimonial and family mediation, collaborative law, and parenting coordination, including parenting arrangements, support, and equitable distribution. Brings a steady, structured approach to emotionally and financially complex matters, informed by experience as an attorney, court-rostered mediator, and public-interest legal services leader. Known for managing high-conflict cases with sound judgment and helping parties move from impasse toward agreements that are practical, durable, and capable of supporting families over time.

Law and ADR Office of Adam J. Halper, PLLC - Owner

Attorney, Mediator, Parenting Coordinator

Owner of Law and ADR Office of Adam J. Halper PLLC, 2019-Present; Director of Legal Services, The Legal Wellness Institute at The Family Center, 2006-2019; Staff Attorney, Legal Services-NYC, 2000-2006.

Practice devoted to mediation and alternative dispute resolution across matrimonial, family, and related civil matters. Regularly mediates divorce and separation disputes involving parenting arrangements, child custody and access, equitable distribution, spousal maintenance, child support, and ancillary financial and planning issues. Works with families both prior to commencement of litigation and during pending matters in Supreme Court, Family Court, and Surrogate’s Court, with an emphasis on creating durable resolutions that reduce the need for continued court involvement. Experience includes mediation (with attorneys as well as pro se parties), collaborative law matters, and consulting-attorney review of mediated agreements. Advises parties and counsel throughout the mediation process and assists in structuring settlements involving real property, retirement assets and business interests. Frequently collaborates with neutral financial professionals where appropriate to enhance transparency, understanding, and sustainability of outcomes. Resolves post-judgment parenting and family conflicts as a Parenting Coordinator, assisting divorced and separated parents in creating, modifying, and implementing parenting plans for children ranging from infancy through adolescence. Addresses ongoing disputes related to parenting time, decision-making authority, communication breakdowns, and disagreements concerning children’s medical, mental health, and educational needs. Work in this role focuses on reducing conflict escalation and helping parents translate court orders and agreements into workable day-to-day family systems. In addition to private practice, serves as a court-appointed mediator with the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the New York State 3rd and 9th Judicial Districts, and the Westchester Human Rights Commission. Mediates a wide range of matters including matrimonial and family disputes, employment and wage-and-hour claims, business and partnership dissolution, fiduciary and Surrogate’s Court matters, and other complex civil litigation. Experience across multiple forums informs a disciplined, neutral approach to process design and problem-solving. Background includes senior leadership within a multidisciplinary nonprofit organization providing holistic legal services to vulnerable and medically fragile populations. Oversaw legal services operations, supervised attorneys and staff, and maintained an active caseload across family, guardianship, benefits, housing, and lifetime planning matters. This work informs a trauma-aware, measured approach to mediation, particularly in cases involving high conflict, power imbalances, or significant stressors.

Provides mediation, reviewing counsel, and parenting coordination services to families navigating separation and divorce. Supports families through complex transitions marked by heightened emotion, financial uncertainty, and concerns related to children. Mediation is approached as both a problem-solving process and a stabilizing structure that supports thoughtful decision-making during periods of upheaval. Family mediation work regularly addresses legal and physical custody, parenting time schedules, holidays and vacations, communication protocols, and decision-making for children. Matters frequently involve long-standing conflict, differing parenting philosophies, or breakdowns in trust. Emphasis is placed on slowing the process, clarifying priorities, and assisting parents in moving from positional disagreement toward workable arrangements that support children’s stability and ongoing relationships with both parents. Financial issues are a central component of many mediations, including equitable distribution, spousal maintenance, child support, and the practical realities of transitioning from one household to two. Experience includes mediating matters involving real estate, retirement assets, investment accounts, business interests, and professional practices. Parties are assisted in organizing and understanding financial information—income, budgets, assets, and expenses—so decisions are grounded in realistic assessment rather than assumption or fear. Where appropriate, the use of neutral financial professionals is encouraged to enhance transparency and shared understanding. Regularly mediates matters in which one or more parties are represented by counsel, requiring careful balance between legal advocacy and dialogue-driven problem solving. Works collaboratively with counsel and other professionals while maintaining focus on party goals, capacity, and long-term needs. Although the process is primarily facilitative, evaluative discussion may be incorporated when requested and appropriate, with care taken not to displace party decision-making authority. In addition to mediation, serves as a Parenting Coordinator in post-judgment matters. Assists divorced and separated parents in implementing, interpreting, and adapting parenting plans for children ranging from infancy through adolescence. Addresses recurring conflicts related to parenting time exchanges, extracurricular activities, communication breakdowns, and disagreements over medical, mental health, and educational decisions. Focus remains on reducing repeated court involvement and supporting functional systems for resolving disputes as they arise. Trained in domestic violence screening and attentive to power imbalances and safety concerns. Mediation is not recommended where coercion or control undermines independent decision-making. In limited circumstances where parties elect to proceed following appropriate screening and legal consultation, modified structures and safeguards are required to promote safety and informed participation. Background as a mediator, attorney, and parenting coordinator—combined with years of public-interest representation and institutional leadership—shapes a mediation approach grounded in legal understanding, emotional awareness, and practical implementation. The focus remains on helping parties reach decisions they can sustain over time, leaving mediation with clarity, structure, and a path forward that supports long-term stability and reduced conflict.

Divorce (Matrimonial); Family Law: Prenuptial; and, Postnuptial Agreements; Separation/Divorce; Agreements; Maintenance; Child Support; Cohabitation Agreements; Equitable Distribution; Parenting Agreements. Parenting Coordination: Facilitation of Substantive Decisions; Facilitating Communication; Implementing Court Orders; Parenting Time Schedules; Coordinating Logistics Such as Extracurricular Activities, Medical and Behavioral Health Appointments. Additional Areas of Mediation Practice: Business Divorce; Civil Rights, 1983, 1984 Actions; Commercial Law; Contracts; Defamation; Discrimination; Employment Law; Family Business; Partnerships; Elder Law; Tort; Trust and Estates: Probate, Administration, Accounting, Guardianship, Will Contest. Wage/Hour (FLSA/NYLL). Representative matters include: Mediated divorce for high-income couple with children, where the primary financial issue was equitable distribution of high value real estate properties (including the marital home), multiple investment and retirement accounts and valuable art collection. Parenting issues included wildly differing philosophies on medical and mental health treatment for special-needs children. Facilitated agreements on property valuation and distribution, buyout structure, support, and a detailed parenting plan incorporating medical decisions and communication protocols. Mediated divorce for a couple in their late 50s navigating divorce after a long-term marriage with older but not yet emancipated children. Issues included spousal maintenance, division of significant retirement assets, balancing child support and college tuition, allocation of health insurance coverage costs as well as distribution of two high-value properties in the NYC Metro area. Mediated multiple family member trust and estates dispute including contested probate and contested fiduciary issues. Estate assets included commercial properties, residential properties, significant tangible property and cash. Mediated gender discrimination, retaliation at large asset management, financial services company. Mediated multi-Party FLSA/NYLL wage hour matter brought on behalf of workers at international restaurant chain.

I approach mediation as both a problem-solving process and a stabilizing structure for people navigating uncertainty. Whether the matter involves divorce, parenting, or financial restructuring, my goal is to slow the conversation down enough for thoughtful decision-making to take hold. Many parties arrive at mediation braced for a fight or convinced that agreement is impossible. I see my role as creating the conditions where a different conversation can begin—one focused less on past grievances and more on how people want their lives to function going forward. My mediation style is primarily facilitative, structured, and interest-based. I spend considerable time at the outset establishing process clarity, setting expectations, and helping parties understand how decisions will be made. When people know where the day is going, it becomes easier to get there. I listen carefully, summarize often, and reflect what I am hearing—not only to confirm understanding, but to help parties hear themselves and one another more clearly. In family matters, this work frequently centers on children, daily routines, and the practical realities of co-parenting after separation. I regularly mediate cases involving heightened, long-standing conflict. In these matters, careful pacing and process design are essential. I remain attentive to communication patterns, emotional intensity, and power dynamics, and adjust the structure of sessions as needed—whether through joint discussion, caucus, staged agendas, or virtual formats. My aim is not to force resolution, but to maintain momentum while preserving each party’s capacity to participate meaningfully. While my approach is facilitative, I am comfortable incorporating evaluative discussion when appropriate and requested, particularly in attorney-assisted cases or where parties seek help with reality-testing proposals. Any evaluative input is offered judiciously and with care not to displace party autonomy. My background as a practicing attorney informs this aspect of my work, allowing me to understand legal frameworks and downstream implications while remaining firmly neutral in the mediator role. Financial issues are often inseparable from emotional ones. I help parties organize and understand financial information, identify assumptions, and explore options grounded in realistic assessment rather than fear. Where matters involve complexity—real estate, retirement assets, businesses, or professional practices—I encourage the use of neutral experts to support transparency and informed choice. I am trained in domestic violence screening and approach safety and power imbalances with particular care. Mediation is not appropriate where independent decision-making is compromised. In rare situations where parties elect to proceed following screening and legal consultation, I require modified structures and clear safeguards to support informed participation. Ultimately, I see mediation as an exercise in design. The work is not simply reaching agreement, but helping people build arrangements they can understand, implement, and rely upon. My aim is for parties to leave mediation with clarity, structure, and a path forward that reduces future conflict and supports stability over time.

Experienced with virtual and hybrid mediation platforms including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and similar videoconferencing technologies; regularly conducts mediations, conferences, and trainings in remote and hybrid formats.

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (JD-1997); New York University (BA-1994).

Admitted to the Bar: New York; U.S. District Court: Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; U.S. Court of Appeals: Second Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court.

Westchester Bar Association’s ADR Committee (Past Co-Chair); New York Association of Collaborative Professionals (Membership Committee); New York State Council on Divorce and Matrimonial Mediation; Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York; Mediation Committee of the Dispute Resolution Section of the New York State Bar Association (Past Co-Chair); Mediation Advisory Committee [MAC] for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Past); Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the New York City Bar Association (Past).

Speaking Engagements: Presenter, AI in Mediation, New York State Bar Association / American Arbitration Association (2024) Presenter, AI in Collaborative Practice, New York Association of Collaborative Professionals (2024) Organizer & Presenter, Optimizing Settlement Opportunities in Supreme, Surrogate’s, and Federal Court, WCBA (2024) Coach/Facilitator, Part 146 Basic Mediation Training, Pace University (2023–2025) Coach/Facilitator, Commercial Mediation Training, WCBA (2025) Presenter, Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Collaborative Law Across Disputes, NYSBA (2024) Publications: Author, The Hard Peace: Mediation in New York’s Med-NJ Program, New York Law Journal (2021) Co-Author, The Hard Question: When to Bring Evaluation into the Mediation, ABA (2021) Author, Make Online Mediation Work for You and Your Clients, WCBA Bar Journal (2020) Featured Top Lawyer, Hudson Valley Magazine – Mediation & Arbitration (2021, 2024, 2025)

Based in Southern Westchester with offices in White Plains and New York City. Available to mediate virtually, anywhere.

Hourly Rate: $500.00 Daily Rate: Not provided Study Rate: $500.00/hr Cancellation: $1,500.00/Day Cancellation Period: 7 Days Comment: Travel time is billed at 50% of hourly rate for travel beyond the immediate New York City/Westchester area.

English

United States of America

White Plains, New York