James Young is a fully bilingual (English-Spanish) mediator and arbitrator in Charlotte. His broad range of experience includes breach of contract, defamation, personal injury, workers compensation, and estate matters. He is a Certified Superior Court Mediator and has experience mediating a range of cases including guardianships and Medicaid planning, special needs estate planning, breach of contract, defamation, personal injury, workers compensation, and estate matters. He also has extensive arbitration experience in the areas of personal injury, landlord/tenant issues, and contractual disputes.

The one and only Greg Parent joins me once again to discuss the practice of mediation. In this conversation, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of working with lawyers and parties from all around the country and all around the world.

Just a quick hello directly from me to you to let you know what's going on with the podcast. Subjects include:Frequency of future episodesBitcoin, streaming money, and the Fountain appPersonal reflections upon turning 50

Josh Van Kampen represents individuals in disputes with their employers and former employers. As one of the best known and most successful employee representatives in North Carolina, Josh is the perfect guest to talk about mediation from the perspective of a plaintiff's employment lawyer. Josh has developed an approach to mediation based on humanizing himself and his clients with the adverse party and attorney. We discussed how to prepare for mediation, deliver an effective opening statement, and work through the range of emotions experienced in mediation.

Greg Parent is one of the most sought-after mediators in Atlanta. His calendar is booked months in advance. This is due in part to Greg's personality, skill, and professional experience. He is one of the few mediators who has worked as an insurance adjuster in addition to representing both plaintiffs and defendants. But Greg's success did not happen overnight, and it did not happen by accident. He is a tireless networker who takes a genuine interest in everyone he meets and makes a point of fostering those connections over time. Growing a mediation practice is hard. Few of us have the capacity to network the way Greg does, but we can all learn from his experience. And the basic concept that efforts generates results applies in every field of business.

Jay Ward is a poet and spoken artist currently serving as the Poet Laureate of the City of Charlotte. He is the 2019 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion and the author of two volumes of poetry, Sing Me A Lesser Wound and Composition.Jay is part of a thriving and supportive spoken word scene in Charlotte comprising nationally recognized poets, including his co-hosts and guests on the Poet Up podcast.

Psst... don't tell anyone, but some lawyers do not particularly enjoy their jobs. As an insurance defense attorney experiencing the "Sunday saddies" as each new workweek, rolled around, John Miles decided to make a change into the then-burgeoning field of mediation. In those days, the typical mediator was an older, white, male, former judge. Under John's leadership, Miles Mediation & Arbitration has grown from a one-man shop to the largest dispute resolution firm in the southeast, with a diverse panel of neutrals reflecting the clients they serve. We talk about the business of mediation, what makes a good mediator, and how it has changed since John pioneered new ways of thinking about dispute resolution.

When my daughter, Clara, was four years old, we decided we would visit the top of the Eiffel Tower when she was 16. This year for spring break, we made it happen. I took an audio recorder along with us. Each night, we sat down together and went over the day's events. This was an experiment in a different form of podcasting, as well as a document of our long-planned trip.

Stephanie Haynes works with students and parents to evaluate all the options after high school. While college is the right choice for some, she has found that many individuals can better reach their goals through apprenticeship, the military, community college, or a gap season. Haynes discusses these options and how to choose among them in her book, College Is Not Mandatory: A Parents Guide to Navigating All the Options Available to Our Kids After High School.

College basketball is almost a religion in North Carolina, so it is not unusual to run into passionate fans of UNC, Wake Forest, Duke, or NC State. It is rare, however, to come across someone who regularly travels from Taiwan to watch his favorite team, or who is on a first name basis with the school's coaches and former players.Randy Chen is such a fan. Randy and I met in 1991 in our freshman dorm at Duke. He is from Taipei and I am from Charlotte, but despite our different backgrounds, we quickly bonded as fellow trumpet players in the Marching & Pep Band. We have been friends ever since. And while many consider me a huge Duke fan, Randy's devotion to the Blue Devils is unparalleled. He has been a basketball season ticket holder for many years, traveling all the way from Taipei every year for the Carolina game and the ACC Tournament. Whenever Duke makes it to the Final Four, Randy will be there. For more than ten years, Randy has attended K Academy, a fantasy basketball camp and family reunion of Duke supporters, coaches, and former players. While the campers themselves are past their athletic prime, make no mistake: everyone takes it very seriously and the competition is intense. Randy and I talked about Duke Basketball, but our conversation is about community, commitment, and the lifelong memories we make with lifelong friends.