Divorce Mediation

Mediating Divorce and Family Cases with MWI in Boston (Financial District)
617-895-4028 | jhoch@mwi.org

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Josh Hoch is a mediator, instructor, and is Director of Mediation Services at MWI. A mediator since 1996, Josh mediates family, divorce, parenting, child support, never married parents, and housing cases. In addition to his mediation work, Josh is also a member of MWI’s training faculty and leads advanced mediation training programs in areas of divorce and housing/eviction. As Director of Mediation Services at MWI, Josh manages mediations and arbitrations in the areas of family law, consumer automotive, real estate, land use, and construction. Additionally, Josh coordinates monthly workshops for parents seeking divorce and serves as a mentor to mediators looking to expand their practice to include divorce mediation. Josh is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), and served on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Chapter of AFCC from 2005 to 2012. Josh has been featured in the Boston Globe and on the award-winning New England newsmagazine television show “Chronicle” where he provided information about marriage, divorce, and the use of divorce and family mediation in Massachusetts.

To schedule a consultation with Josh at MWI, 10 Liberty Square – 4th Floor, Boston – click here.

Representative Matters

Josh Hoch has mediated over 700 cases including:

• Divorce Mediation – short and long term marriages
• Never married parents – separation, parenting plans, and child support
• Physical separation, asset & liability division, and property division
• Same-sex divorce
• Custody disputes
• Parenting plans
• Parents who want to stay married
• Pro se and with counsel present
• Post-Divorce
• Several cases mediated with a Spanish translator
• High conflict cases
• Cases involving bipolar disorder, substance abuse, and domestic violence

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Designed and currently oversees a mediation program where divorce and family mediation services are provided to the Trial Court. (September 2013 – present)
• Received recognition for outstanding performance and lasting contributions to the MA AFCC Chapter, an organization working to assist families in conflict through education, research and services.
• Served on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Chapter of AFCC (2005 – 2012)
• Member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
• Member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation
• Organizational Member of the New England Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution
• Appeared on the award winning New England newsmagazine television show “Chronicle” where he provided information about marriage, divorce and the use of divorce and family mediation in MA
• Featured as a mediator in a Boston Globe article
• Served as Treasurer for an annual fundraiser for Jimmy Fund Clinic patients and their families, (2003 – 2015)

Lectures and ADR Trainings Conducted

• Norfolk Probate and Family Court Department, mediation program mentor and supervisor, (2013 – present)
• Advanced Divorce Mediation Training Instructor, (April 2005 – present)
• Provide individual mentoring to mediators looking to increase their effectiveness as mediators, (2003 – present)
• AFCC’s 54th Annual Conference: Turning the Kaleidoscope of Family Conflict into a Prism of Harmony, Conference Presenter (May 2017)
• Community Dispute Settlement Center (CDSC), Housing Mediation Trainer, (February 2017)
• International Academic Institute of Mediation, Conference Presenter, Divorce Mediation in the Courts, (September 2015)
• Advanced Refresher Mediation Skills Training Program, Presenter, (2015 – 2016)
• New England Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution Biennial Regional Conference, Presenter, “I’m a Trained Mediator, Now What do I Do?”, (June 2015)
• Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, Presenter, On-site mediation project in the Norfolk Probate and Family Court Department, (2014)
• Emerson College, Guest Speaker, (2014 – 2016)
• New England Law | Boston, Ethical Standards, Presenter, (2005 – 2013)
• Liaison for Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Mediation Practicum, (2001 – 2011)
• A Child’s Voice in Court: How to Get It, How to Interpret It and How to Use It, Panel Speaker, (2008)
• Coca-Cola Enterprise Inc., Trainer. Trained over 950 employees dispute resolution and communication skills and educated over 1700 employees through briefings, (Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, New York, Vermont), (2004 – 2006)
• Harvard Law School, Intern Fair, Cambridge, MA, Presenter, (2005)
• Simmons College Graduate School of Social Work, Guest Lecturer, Parent – Teen Mediation (2004)
• Boston University Law School, Court Connected ADR, Guest Speaker, (2003 – 2008)
• Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center, Divorce Mediation Presenter, (2003 – 2004)
• Newton and Lexington Community Education, Presenter: Divorce Information You Want to Know, (2003 – 2005)
• Germaine Lawrence, Family Communication Workshop, Facilitator, (2001 – 2005)
• Southern New England School of Law, Mediation Trainer and Coach (2001 – 2004)
• Northeastern University, undergraduate class, Guest Speaker, (2001 – 2002)

Background and Education

• Divorce Mediator, MWI, Boston, MA, 2001 – Present
• Director of Mediation Services, MWI, Boston, MA, 2001 – Present
• Divorce Mediator, CLC Inc., Granite Bay, CA, 2004 – Present
• Court & Divorce Mediator, Cambridge, MA, 2001 – 2012
• Boston Municipal Court Mediator, Boston, MA, 2004 – 2007
• Mediator for Prisoner Disputes, Middlesex Multi-Door Courthouse, Cambridge, MA, 2003 – 2005
• District Court Mediator, Middlesex Mediation Program, Lowell, MA, 2000 – 2001
• Staff Member, Academy of Family Mediators, Jan. 2000 – Dec. 2000
• B.A. University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 1998
• Mediation Training, L. Wing Mediation Consulting, 1996

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Mediating Divorce & Family Matters with MWI in Jamaica Plain and Boston
617-895-4028 | divorce@mwi.org

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Dispute Resolution Experience

Nnena Odim is a mediator, trainer, attorney, and consultant. She has been mediating since 1997 and has mediated disputes involving issues such as employment, housing, business, consumer, and specializes in mediating the full range of family/domestic relations (elder care, adoption, care and protection, CHINS, divorce, grandparent visitation, and LGBTQ issues, etc.). Nnena also designed and/or led numerous conflict management trainings for several local and national businesses and agencies, including Coca Cola Enterprises, the Boston Public Schools, and the Massachusetts Housing Authority. In addition to her mediation and conflict resolution training background, Nnena is the Associate Director and Senior Clinical Instructor of the Family/Domestic Violence Law Clinic at The Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School. She provides experiential training to law students as she teaches them how to become effective and ethical attorneys.  Nnena has also worked with the Harvard Mediation Program and Harvard Program on Negotiation to provide trainings for students and various community members and to supervise Harvard Law School students in their mediation and negotiation studies. Nnena has mediated personal, academic, and administrative issues between students and faculty in higher education settings and served as a coach of mediation skills for trainings at MIT, Suffolk and Boston College Law Schools, and New England School of Law. In 2013, Nnena was a Top Women in the Law award recipient from Mass. Lawyers Weekly.  In 2015, she received the Harvard Law School Dean’s Award for Excellence.

Representative Matters

• Worked with over 100 same-sex couples in both mediation and litigation, on a variety of legal scenarios, such as 2nd parent adoptions, divorce (with and without children), paternity, business dissolution, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, and donor agreements for sperm donation
• Drafted over 100 post-mediation Settlement Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding
• Guardian ad Litem, appointed by Suffolk and Middlesex County Family and Probate Courts

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Top Women in the Law award recipient, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, 2013
• Member, Association for Conflict Resolution
• Member, American Bar Association
• Licensed Real Estate Broker

Lectures and ADR Trainings Conducted

• Training faculty for MWI’s annual Advanced Divorce Training
• Guest lecturer for Suffolk and Boston College Law Schools’ mediation courses

Background and Education

• J.D., Northeastern University School of Law (1997)
• M.S., University of Massachusetts/Amherst (1991)
• B.S., University of Pittsburgh (1985)

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Mediating Divorce & Family Matters with MWI in Sandwich and around Cape Cod
617-895-4028 | divorce@mwi.org

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Dispute Resolution Experience

Patrick Morris has been involved in family law litigation and mediation since 1994. His practice at one time included bankruptcy law, but for the most part he has specialized in family matters. During his career he has represented clients in approximately 2000 divorces and other family law matters, including child support, alimony, parenting plans- everything related to family law. He learned early in his career that settling a case is preferable to taking a case to trial. It is not wise to allow a judge who knows very little about the client’s family to make decisions for the family which will seriously impact the lives of all family members. As a result of this belief he has advised countless clients to settle a case on terms which were agreeable to them as opposed to taking a case to trial. This mindset carries over to mediation. During his career it was quite common for prospective clients to ask if there was a better way to achieve a divorce. The simple answer is yes- mediation. To this end many divorces which may have otherwise been litigated have been settled in his office with mediation. He estimates he has mediated over 100 divorces during his career.

Representative Matters

• Child support;
• Legal and physical child custody;
• Parenting time;
• Alimony;
• Tax deduction status for the children;
• Division of assets;
• Division of debt;
• Health insurance issues;
• How to handle the marital home;
• Modification of prior court orders: child support; parenting time; alimony; college expenses, and many others;
• Health Insurance;

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Barnstable Bar Association
• Plymouth Bar Association
• Massachusetts Bar Association
• Massachusetts Council for Family Mediation
• OCAC: Otis Civilian Advisory Council: a group of civilians who do volunteer work for members of the military and their families who live and work on Joint Base Cape Cod
• Lawyer of the day: Barnstable Probate and Family Court
• Associate member of “We Can”- a group which provides pro se legal advice to indigent women

Background and Education

• Bachelor’s degree: LeMoyne College, Syracuse N.Y.  graduated 1976
• Worked as professional sales representative in the electrical components industry from 1976-2005.  Self-employed manufacturer’s representative. Territories included upstate NY, Massachusetts, Ontario, and Quebec
• JD: New England School of Law: night student: attended 4 years: graduated 1994- while continuing to work as manufacturer’s representative.
• Passed bar exam on first try: sworn in January 1995. Licensed to practice in Massachusetts State Courts and Federal Bankruptcy Court.
• Opened my practice in February of 1995; have concentrated in family law since that time.
• Been mediating since 1996

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Mediating with MWI in Norwell & Boston
617-895-4028 | divorce@mwi.org

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Dispute Resolution Experience

Mary Anne Chardo Johnson is an experienced divorce mediator, attorney, and teacher. A cum laude graduate of Boston College, Mary Anne holds a B.A. in education and a J.D. from Southern New England School of Law. Mary Anne’s private practice focuses on non-adversarial family law in addition to divorce and family mediation. Mary Anne also provides counsel for a number of individual clients on a wide range of interpersonal and family matters. In her private practice and as a member of the MWI Panel of Divorce and Marital Mediators, Mary Anne has successfully mediated hundreds of disputes associated with separation, divorce, and post-divorce modifications. Mary Anne has helped even high-conflict divorcing, divorced and never-married clients create workable, mutually satisfactory separation agreements, modifications and parenting plans. Mary Anne is the former Program Coordinator of the Probate and Family Court’s Access and Visitation Project, a court-based parent education program for never-married parents. As Coordinator, Mary Anne presented the program weekly to the mostly unrepresented (pro se) litigants in the Suffolk and Middlesex divisions and contributed to the development of written educational materials and updates on court procedures and practices relating to custody, parenting, and child support.

Representative Matters

• Divorce Mediation
• Post-Divorce Modification Mediation
• Never-Married Parents Mediation

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• President, Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers
• Member, Justinian Law Society of Massachusetts
• Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
• Member, Women Attorneys Network of the South Shore
• Member, Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation
• Member, MWI Panel of Divorce and Family Mediators
• Member, First District Eastern Middlesex Bar Association
• Member, Middlesex County Probate Court Conciliation Program
  

Background and Education

• Mediator, MWI Divorce and Family Mediation Panel, Boston, MA, 2003-present
• Owner, Law Office of MaryAnne Johnson, Esq., Weymouth, MA, 2005-present
• Freelance editor Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) 2005-2008
• Peer Mediation Program Coordinator, Boston Community Leadership Academy, 2002-2005
• Program Coordinator, Access and Visitation Program, Probate and Family Court, Middlesex and Suffolk Divisions, 2002
• Juris Doctor, Southern New England School of Law
• B.A., cum laude, Boston College

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