View From the Middle of the Road

About the Book

Every day in mediation offices around the world, parties come together to tell their unique story as it relates to a conflict in their lives. In a single, prescient day, they expect to end their pending litigation. Sometimes the resolution requires money. Other times it requires an apology, an explanation or an agreement to put the conflict behind the disputants and move forward in peace. Sometimes, it just requires an impartial set of ears, an open heart and a willing third party to lead the way with dignity, decency and humanity. Such is the life of a mediator. The mediator is the glue: the compassionate ear that can listen deeply and find the connections between the two stories. While lawyers are trained to fight for the rights of their clients, mediators are trained to look for the validity of both points of view. It is, indeed, a different perspective. “View from the Middle of the Road” is a highly entertaining collection of mediation stories based upon a year of self-reflective analysis by author and prominent Los Angeles mediator, Jan Frankel Schau. The stories are intriguing, endearing and sometimes infuriating. The author takes the time to describe her “bird’s eye” view and illustrate specific Mediator’s Tools used by her in each dispute. Students of mediation, disputants and their counsel and Judges will find these tools incredibly useful and insightful. Where parties have a seat at the negotiating table and can be fully heard with compassion, an open-mind and an open heart, the implications for peace-making extend far, far beyond the litigated case. That is Jan Frankel Schau’s View from the Middle of the Road: A Mediator’s Perspective on life, conflict and human interaction.

About the Author

The events of 9/11 forever changed Litigator, Jan Frankel Schau. In the field of cutthroat litigators, representing bitter ex-employees and neighbors disputing lot lines, Ms. Schau was looking for an outlet to convert her skills in advocacy into a more positive champion for peace. So began the journey towards a new career and new outlook on a different way of resolving legal disputes: mediation. Since beginning her mediation practice in 2003, Ms. Schau has mediated over 1000 legal disputes in the areas of business, employment and torts. She has earned recognition as a California Super Lawyer for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators. She is also the Past President of the Southern California Mediation Association. Ms. Schau practiced law for over twenty years, beginning her career in Insurance Defense and ultimately representing employees who claimed they had been wrongfully treated in their jobs. She earned her Undergraduate Degree in International Relations from Pomona College in Claremont, California and her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. The author resides in Los Angeles, California, with her husband of 34 years. Together, they have raised a daughter and two sons. Ms. Schau credits her children with providing her first laboratory for developing mediation skills, as they were all teenagers when she began. She has always enjoyed creative writing and has authored numerous scholarly articles for local Bar Magazines and the Los Angeles Daily Journal. The stories in this book arise out of actual mediations. As creative a writer as Ms. Schau is, she could not have invented a more lively set of facts than those in this book.