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GENERAL OVERVIEW
Janet Mitchell, J.D., is an experienced lawyer-mediator who has mediated 800 disputes since 1986. She is a mediation pioneer who worked with attorneys and judges to establish mediation as an important part of the legal process. She believes that disputants can work together cooperatively and achieve results that both sides want. She states that, “Even in high conflict situations, when I sit down with the disputants, I can help them see what is most important to the other, and help them brain-storm possible solutions that both can live with. It is important to reach agreement, especially when they need to continue working together in the future.”
EDUCATION
Janet Mitchell received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and political science, followed by a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. She received extensive training in mediation, including two 40-hour courses, a 56-hour course, and 950 hours of advanced training. The mediation workshops she provides are approved by the Indiana Supreme Court, and she has taught mediation seminars for over 1,000 hours since 1982, including seven in Russia.
MEDIATION PANELS & BAR ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES
Association for Conflict Resolution: Advanced Practitioner Member 1987-present.
Registered Indiana Mediator: Domestic Relations and Civil Registries 1992-present.
Indiana Department of Education: Contract mediator for special education disputes.
Federal Mediator: Northern District of Indiana Federal Mediator, and contract mediator for Occupational Health Services, Medicare, Postal Service, and the Departments of Agriculture and Justice.
Mediator Panels: Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Services International, National Mediation Centers, Indiana Association of Mediators, Fort Wayne Volunteer Lawyers Referral Panel, Lacefield Mediation Network, Construction Dispute Resolution Services Mediator, and National Eldercare Mediator Network (network founder and author of “Eldercare Mediation: A New Way to Make Decisions Regarding Aging Parents).
Church Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation: Approved Intervenor, Facilitator, and Educator for the Ministry of Reconciliation of the Church of the Brethren 2004-present; steering committee member 1982-92.
Bar Associations: Served on American Bar Association’s Public Service and Homelessness Committees; Indiana State Bar’s bar-bench committee that drafted and revised Indiana's ADR Rules, Pro Bono Committee, ADR Committee (co-chaired Ethics Committee and wrote Ethics Chapter for ADR Manual); Oregon State Bar’s Mediation Committee; and Allen County Bar’s Ethics and Dispute Resolution Committees.
COURSES TAUGHT
Mediation 40-hour Training, and Advanced Seminar topics include “Communication Skills,” “Coaching,” “Models of Mediation”, and “Eldercare Mediation.”
“Employment Law,” “Introduction to Law,” and “Business Ethics” at Indiana Institute of Technology.
“Elements of Law,” “Introduction to Conflict Resolution," "Introduction to Peace Studies," “Employment Discrimination," and "Women and the Law" at Indiana-Purdue University.
