MO-AFCC July 2021 Lunch and Learn
The Missouri Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (MO-AFCC)
Join the MO-AFCC for this FREE lunch-and-learn session, being offered online via Zoom.
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Scroll down to register now!
Getting the Most Out of Short Mediations:
Two-hour Court-Mandated Mediation
July 16, 2021, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. via Zoom
Presented by: M.J. Crawford, MAEd; Anna Lingo, Esq.; Michelle Henry, MS; and Hugh O’Donnell, Attorney & Mediator
Presented by: M.J. Crawford, MAEd; Anna Lingo, Esq.; Michelle Henry, MS; and Hugh O’Donnell, Attorney & Mediator
St. Louis County Family Court has passed a new rule for 2-hour mandatory mediation sessions for parties with children. Both attorney and mental health professional mediators may provide these mediations. As we prepare for this opportunity to work with families, we are inviting mediators from other jurisdictions across to state to learn their lessons. Our goals are to focus on the best strategies for 2-hour mediations, how mediators and their attorneys can best prepare clients for mediation, tips from mediators who do mandatory mediation, how much you get done in 2 hours, and the best use the time.
Continuing Education Credits
Event has been approved for 1.5 CU hours for Social Workers (approved)/ 1.8 CLE hours for Lawyers (approval pending)
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this workshop, attendees are expected to:
- Be ready to create realistic goals with clients in a short mediation.
- Better understand how to help prepare clients for a short mediation.
- Have a set of strategies to create as efficient and productive session as possible.
About the Presenters
MJ Crawford
M.J. Crawford is director of Domestic Relations Services Department at the Family Court of St. Louis County, which oversees The Exchange Center, Domestic Violence Court, and Domestic Relations Services. She has spent the last 16 years in the Domestic Relations Services Unit of the Family Court of St. Louis County providing alternative dispute resolution in order of protection dockets and the Parenting Court Docket, provided assistance in custody plan development, case management, and supervised visitation to court-referred families. M.J. completed her Master of Arts in Education in Counseling Psychology at Seton Hall University and earned her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Sexuality, Marriage and the Family from the University of Waterloo in Canada.
Michelle Henry
Michelle L. Henry, M.S. is an experienced family mediator and Supervisor of the Mediation and Special Court Services Unit of the St. Louis City Family Court. Michelle is also the Program Director for the Family Sub-Contracted Services program. She has provided court approved mediation services for 19 years and supervises a team of mediators who provide domestic relations and intra-family mediation services. The Mediation and Special Court Services Unit also provides supervised access and supervised exchange services to court clients. Michelle holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Lindenwood University and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Southeast Missouri State University.
Anna Lingo
Anna graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia law school in 1989 and have been in private practice in Columbia, Missouri, since that time. Her practice is a family law practice, including party representation in divorces, guardianships, custody modifications and adoptions as well as mediation and guardian ad litem work.
Hugh O'Donnell
As a divorce attorney with more than 40 years of family law and mediation experience, I have seen firsthand how challenging the divorce process and resolving civil disputes can be for most people. Often people are emotionally overwhelmed at the exact time when they need to be thinking clearly and making sound decisions that will shape their futures for years to come. When the divorce process becomes a contentious fight, it can make that difficult situation worse.
Divorce does not need to be a fight. Family mediation and the collaborative divorce can help people to craft divorce agreements that are better for them in both the short and long terms. Not only do these processes keep decision-making power in the hands of the divorcing couple rather than ceding it to a judge, there are cost savings, time savings and less stress in addition to many other advantages. I have spent my career working to improve my skills as a mediator, collaborative divorce attorney and divorce litigator so that I could offer my clients the path toward the resolution that works the best for them. I am committed to helping people use mediation, collaborative law and the courts to build a better future for themselves.
M.J. Crawford is director of Domestic Relations Services Department at the Family Court of St. Louis County, which oversees The Exchange Center, Domestic Violence Court, and Domestic Relations Services. She has spent the last 16 years in the Domestic Relations Services Unit of the Family Court of St. Louis County providing alternative dispute resolution in order of protection dockets and the Parenting Court Docket, provided assistance in custody plan development, case management, and supervised visitation to court-referred families. M.J. completed her Master of Arts in Education in Counseling Psychology at Seton Hall University and earned her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Sexuality, Marriage and the Family from the University of Waterloo in Canada.
Michelle Henry
Michelle L. Henry, M.S. is an experienced family mediator and Supervisor of the Mediation and Special Court Services Unit of the St. Louis City Family Court. Michelle is also the Program Director for the Family Sub-Contracted Services program. She has provided court approved mediation services for 19 years and supervises a team of mediators who provide domestic relations and intra-family mediation services. The Mediation and Special Court Services Unit also provides supervised access and supervised exchange services to court clients. Michelle holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Lindenwood University and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Southeast Missouri State University.
Anna Lingo
Anna graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia law school in 1989 and have been in private practice in Columbia, Missouri, since that time. Her practice is a family law practice, including party representation in divorces, guardianships, custody modifications and adoptions as well as mediation and guardian ad litem work.
Hugh O'Donnell
As a divorce attorney with more than 40 years of family law and mediation experience, I have seen firsthand how challenging the divorce process and resolving civil disputes can be for most people. Often people are emotionally overwhelmed at the exact time when they need to be thinking clearly and making sound decisions that will shape their futures for years to come. When the divorce process becomes a contentious fight, it can make that difficult situation worse.
Divorce does not need to be a fight. Family mediation and the collaborative divorce can help people to craft divorce agreements that are better for them in both the short and long terms. Not only do these processes keep decision-making power in the hands of the divorcing couple rather than ceding it to a judge, there are cost savings, time savings and less stress in addition to many other advantages. I have spent my career working to improve my skills as a mediator, collaborative divorce attorney and divorce litigator so that I could offer my clients the path toward the resolution that works the best for them. I am committed to helping people use mediation, collaborative law and the courts to build a better future for themselves.
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