Dispute Resolution Roundtables

Conversation Starter: Carrie Connelly

Topic: Statistics – How do you track your mediations, how do you report them, and how do you analyze the data?

Carrie Connelly is the Assistant Court Administrator and Mediation Attorney for the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals. Prior to this, she was the staff attorney for Judge Stephen A. Yarbrough. Connelly has also worked as a staff attorney at Student Legal Services, Inc. at Bowling Green State University and as a law clerk for the Hon. Francis X. Gorman at the Toledo Municipal Court. She has served as the president of the Toledo Women's Bar Association and as the Education Co-Chair for the Ohio Association for Court Administration. She is also a member of the Toledo Bar Association, Wood County Bar Association, and the Ohio Mediation Association. Connelly obtained her J.D. from the University of Toledo and her B.B.A. in International Business and Computer Information Systems from the University of Cincinnati.

Conversation Starter: Matt Mennes

Topic: TBD

Matt Mennes serves as the mediator for Ohio’s Ninth District Court of Appeals, where he mediates civil appeals originating from four Ohio counties. Previously, Mennes served as a civil mediator for common pleas courts in Cuyahoga County and Lake County. As a court mediator, he has helped resolve over 1,000 civil disputes. A frequent speaker on dispute resolution, Mennes has presented to local bar associations, the American Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the Supreme Court of Ohio. Mennes served as the ADR section chair for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (CMBA) and is a past president of the Cleveland Mediation Center (CMC) and the Mediation Association of Northeast Ohio (MANO). Before moving back to Ohio, he was a director of arbitration for the New York Stock Exchange in its San Francisco office. Mennes holds a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Conversation Starters: Mary Minnillo and Newton Cargill

Topic: TBD

Newton S. Cargill is the mediator and conference attorney for the Eighth District Court of Appeals in Cleveland. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Howard University and then worked in the financial-planning industry for 15 years before obtaining his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Following admission to the bar in 2001, Cargill served as a public defender with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s then Criminal Division. He first joined the court in 2003, where he has served as a Judicial Attorney for three judges, namely: Honorable Patricia Ann Blackmon, Honorable Mary Eileen Kilbane, and the Honorable Emanuella D. Groves. Additionally, in between his judicial clerkships, he served as Manager of three divisions of the Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts and as the Court Administrator of the Cleveland Municipal Court’s Housing Division. In December 2022 he was appointed to the position of Mediator and Conference Attorney.

Mary T. (Schoelwer) Minnillo is the Mediation and Conference Attorney for the First District Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. She has extensive appellate court experience and unique insight into the process of deciding appeals. In private practice she represented clients before the Court of Appeals and trial courts in both civil and criminal matters. As a staff attorney at the First District Court of Appeals for over 20 years, she analyzed procedural and substantive issues for purposes of making recommendations to the judges and facilitated consensus before drafting opinions deciding appeals and original actions. Minnillo earned her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where she served on the Law Review Executive Board. She is a recipient of the Cincinnati Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Volunteer Award.

Conversation Starter: Catherine Geyer

Topic: Using Litigation Analytics in Mediation

Mediators have access to powerful data driven tools to see how judges typically rule, how long it generally takes them to issue those rulings, and how they compare to their colleagues. How can mediators access and use this information to manage parties’ expectations and help them make reasoned settlement decisions?

Catherine C. Geyer is the Chief Circuit Mediator for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She was previously the Manager of the Dispute Resolution Section for the Supreme Court of Ohio and an attorney in private practice with an emphasis in the areas of insurance coverage and bad faith, construction law, commercial disputes, corporate litigation, and mediation. Geyer served as the ABA Court Alternative Dispute Resolution committee co-chair and is an adjunct professor for The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Program on Dispute Resolution.

Conversation Starter: Ian Haberman

Topic: TBD

Ian S. Haberman became Court Mediator for the Medina County Court of Common Pleas in January 2021. Previously, he practiced law in Medina County, focusing on the areas of real estate, business, and probate. Haberman received his B.A. from Brown University and his M.A. and Ph.D. (both in History) and his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University. His community involvements have included service on the Boards of Trustees of the Medina County District Library, the Medina County Park District, Hospice of Medina County, and Weathervane Community Playhouse.

Conversation Starter: Hope McGonigle

Topic: Akron Municipal Court Eviction Mediation Program

Hope McGonigle is the Court Mediator for the Akron Municipal Court. Prior to joining the staff of Akron Municipal Court, she served as a volunteer mediator, through the court’s online dispute resolution (ODR) program. McGonigle received her undergraduate degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia and Masters of Legal Studies with focus in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles. McGonigle has owned businesses focused on residential construction in several states, including northeast Ohio. Having the opportunity to live and work in various regions of the country, as well as abroad in China and the Philippines, has provided her an appreciation of culture and diversity.

Conversation Starter: Dan Berstein

Topic: Equity, Accessibility and Accountability in Dispute Resolution

In this discussion, Dan Berstein will share free resources that help conflict resolvers [1] practice in accessible and equitable ways that work for parties of varying ability levels, diversity backgrounds, and preferences; [2] be ready for when parties speak up with requests, complaints, or unexpected choices (amidst environments filled with power balances and systemic biases); and [3] appreciate accountability mechanisms for mediator misconduct. Whatever your personal style of practice, all dispute resolvers follow some universal core ethics of impartiality, self-determination, and compliance with civil rights laws. This discussion will leave you with simple tools to operationalize all of these vital principles.

Dan Berstein MHS, combines his professional expertise as a mediator, his academic background in mental health and public health, and his personal experience living with bipolar disorder to develop innovative online programs that use conflict resolution best practices to prevent discrimination. Through his company, MH Mediate, Berstein has trained thousands of people to talk about mental health, address challenging behaviors, and resolve conflicts. Clients have included individuals, organizations, and government agencies at the city, state, and federal levels. Berstein is also the co-founder of the Dispute Resolution in Mental Health Initiative at the CUNY (City University of New York) Dispute Resolution Center. His book, Mental Health and Conflicts: A Handbook for Empowerment, was published by the American Bar Association in 2022. Learn more about Berstein by watching his TEDxTalk at https://youtu.be/nstRHTVv0Aw.

Conversation Starter: Bruno Romero

Topic: Using Interpreters in Mediation

Bruno G. Romero is the Manager of the Language Services Section of the Supreme Court of Ohio. His primary responsibilities include, testing and credentialing of court interpreters, training on matters related to language access, policy development and language access compliance. He has developed bench cards and other language access resources for Ohio courts. Prior to managing the Language Services Section, Romero was a program manager in the Supreme Court of Ohio Dispute Resolution Section and before that, he was a court interpreter for five years in the Sixth Judicial District of the New York State Unified Court System and a mediator with the Community Dispute Resolution Center in Ithaca, New York. Romero also worked as a legal assistant with the Texas Rural Legal Aid farmworker program in the early 90’s. He holds a B.S. in Economics and an M.A. in Labor and Policy Studies from the State University of New York.

Conversation Starter: Terry Wheeler

Topic: Are you an ethically curious mediator?

Join this roundtable to discuss current ethical issues in mediation. Do you have an ethical question you would like to have discussed? Send it to marya.kolman@sc.ohio.gov prior to the roundtable.

Terry Wheeler is an attorney and mediator at Artz, Dewhirst & Wheeler in Columbus, Ohio. He is an adjunct professor at Capital University Law School and The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He has served as temporary Mediation Counsel for the Supreme Court of Ohio. Wheeler started mediating in 1983 and was actively involved in the advancement of the Ohio Uniform Mediation Act and the Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators, as well as other state and national initiatives. He is a former president of the board for the Association for Conflict Resolution.

Conversation Starters: Salvia Jannat and Robert Southers

Topic: Mediating with Self-Represented Parties

Participants in this roundtable will consider some of the benefits and challenges of mediation for self-represented parties and exchange helpful techniques when working with self-represented parties.

Salvia Jannat has served as the Mediation Program Coordinator for the Franklin County Municipal Court Dispute Resolution since August of 2022. She supervises the contract mediators in their administration of the program services. She has scheduled more than 2,500 mediations (including judge and magistrate referred, rent escrow, and pre-file mediations) and has mediated more than 250 cases. Jannat also coordinates mediations for law students from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and Capital University Law School. She maintains extensive communication with parties seeking mediation services. Overall, she ensures the quality of mediation services, and monitors and assists the final resolution of disputes. Before starting her position at the Franklin County Municipal Court, Jannat was a mediator at Community Mediation Services of Central Ohio.

Robert Southers has served as the Managing Attorney for the Franklin County Municipal Court Self Help Resource Center since August of 2017. Recently, Robert has undertaken a merger of the Self Help Resource Center with the Court’s dispute resolution department. Along with his role directing the Court’s self-help center, dispute resolution department, and access to justice programs, Southers also serves as a co-chair for the Self-Represented Litigation Network’s Nonlawyer Navigator Working group. In both of these roles, Southers has helped courts around the country launch new self-help centers and navigator programs. In addition to Souther’s work with courts, he also serves as an adjunct professor for the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Program on Dispute Resolution.

Conversation Starters: Anne Murray and Kyana Pierson

Topic: What Mediators Should Know about Marsy’s Law

“Marsy’s Law” or the Ohio Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights, Ohio Constitution Article I, Section 10(a) and the Ohio Revised Code, provide crime victims the right to reasonable notice, to be present and heard at all court proceedings, to be informed of the release of the offender, to offer input on negotiated pleas, to a prompt conclusion of their case, and to restitution for economic losses resulting from the criminal offense or delinquent act. Some rights are automatic, some must be requested to be exercised. Join this roundtable to discuss what mediators should know about Marsy’s Law.

Anne M. Murray is Policy Counsel overseeing the Domestic Violence Program within the Court Services Division of the Supreme Court of Ohio and staffs the Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence, a multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary group of judicial officers and justice partners from across the state. The Advisory Committee provides ongoing advice to the Court to support innovative practices in Ohio courts' response to domestic violence and related offenses. Prior to joining the Court, Murray was a domestic violence prosecutor for over 20 years and director of the Domestic Violence and Stalking Unit for the Columbus City Attorney’s Office and regularly taught allied professionals on domestic violence law and coordinated response.

Kyana Pierson is the Policy Counsel for the Supreme Court's Children & Families Section working to provide assistance, resources, and education to domestic relations, juvenile, and probate courts in Ohio. Pierson has developed resources for courts on understanding and implementing the new Marsy’s Law statutory requirements. She received her Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School. She also earned a Master's Degree in Public Policy & Management and a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from The Ohio State University.

Conversation Starter: Heather Fournier

Topic: TBD

Heather J. Fournier has served in the following capacities at the Lucas County Juvenile Court (“LCJC”): Court Family Services Administrator (current); Chief Deputy Clerk (2019-2021); Mediation Director (2016-2019); Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Trainer (2016) and CASA part-time Emancipation Specialist (2015). Before that, she was In House Counsel, Human Resource Associate and Quality Associate at a medical supply company. Prior to that, Fournier represented children and parents in Juvenile, Domestic Relations, and Appellate Court. She served separate terms as the Toledo Bar Association Juvenile Court Secretary and President. Fournier earned her Bachelor of Art degree in Political Science at Bowling Green State University and obtained a Juris Doctor Degree from Whittier Law School where she was a Center for Children’s Rights Fellow and the Public Interest Law Foundation President. Admitted to the practice of law in 2002, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and Cairn Terrier “Koda”. She loves hiking, remodeling her 1840 Victorian Italianate home, and volunteering as Parent President of the Central Catholic Glee Club.

Conversation Starter: Amy Armstrong

Topic: Trauma-Informed Interventions

Families engaged in on-going disputes often have a history of negative interactional patterns that may be exacerbated by underlying unresolved trauma. Professionals do not need a diagnosis or a thorough understanding of the family history to work with these families in a healthy and helpful manner. Join this conversation to discuss how to have a trauma-informed practice, utilize appropriate boundaries, and structure sessions with safety and healing in the forefront.

Amy Armstrong works part-time as a family resource coordinator in Delaware County Domestic Relations Court, and also helps families in her private practice, The Center for Family Resolution in Worthington, Ohio. As a licensed social worker and accredited coach, Armstrong helps clients learn to handle stress and develop good skills for reducing anxiety and navigating heated relationship issues. Armstrong believes that while we can't stop conflict, we can help folks stop making things worse and see possibilities for a brighter future.

Conversation Starter: Ann Brandt

Topic: Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity refers to the different ways the brain can work and interpret information. It highlights that people naturally think about things differently. Most people are neurotypical, meaning that the brain functions and processes information in the way society expects. Neurodivergent, meaning that the brain functions, learns and processes information differently. Neurodivergence includes but is not limited to Attention Deficit Disorders, Autism, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia.

Ann Brandt MS, LPCC-S (Licensed Professional Clinical Supervisor) is the Director of Family Services for Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court. Brandt has worked in the fields of both mental health and alcohol and drug treatment for the last 30 years with a focus on infants, children, adolescents, and family treatment. She has Master’s Degrees in both Educational Administration and Community Counseling.

Conversation Starter: Erinn McKee Hannigan

Topic: Setting appropriate boundaries and resources for a PC practice

Erinn McKee Hannigan devotes 100% of her practice to peacemaking and non-litigation work. She is a Collaborative Practitioner, Mediator, Guardian ad Litem and Parenting Coordinator. She is a member of the Ohio Supreme Court Guardian ad Litem faculty and teaches CLE throughout Ohio and the US on various domestic relations issues. She also trains other lawyers, mental health professionals and financial professionals on Collaborative Practice both at the introductory and advanced level. She served as the co-chair of the Cincinnati Academy of Collaborative Professionals and was a committee member and board member for the International Association of Collaborative Professionals. McKee Hannigan is a member of the Domestic Relations Section of the Cincinnati Bar Association, the Ohio Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association, the Association of Family and Conciliatory Courts and the International Association of Collaborative Professionals. In 2022 & 2023, She was named as a Super Lawyer, Top 50 Women Lawyers in Ohio, Top 50 Lawyers in Cincinnati and top 25 Women Lawyers in Cincinnati. She is a graduate of Ball State University and received her law degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Conversation Starter: Tammy Martin Kosier

Topic: School Attendance Mediation Updates

Tammy Martin Kosier is the mediation coordinator and a mediator at the Ashtabula County Mediation and Conflict Management Services Department (MCMS). She helped start school attendance mediation in Lucas County and has mediated many school attendance mediation cases. She also teaches a course on School Attendance Mediation for the Supreme Court of Ohio Dispute Resolution Section.