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Warning
Several questionable individuals have recently posted as members of "The Negotiators". Fortunately, their attempts failed. Only those people on the "About Us" page of this website, or any associates we introduce to you personally, are part of The Negotiators team of mediators and arbitrators. If you are approached by anyone else, please contact us immediately.
About Us
MEET THE NEGOTIATORS
Pete Desrochers
pete@thenegotiators.com
Pete Desrochers is the Founding Director of The Negotiators. He has been a mediator and negotiator for over 10 years, including international negotiations in over a dozen countries on four continents. However he is probably best known for his published articles on stress, personal relationships and conflict. A strong proponent for settling divorces and domestic issues out of court, Pete believes that gentleness and compassion can only come from strength, endeavoring to provide a safe, friendly environment to resolve even the most volatile disputes. He is equally comfortable in corporate boardrooms, standing before international tribunals or resolving children’s problems. Pete is a Collaborative Law practitioner and a syndicated social commentator in both the United States and Canada.
Robin Gordon
robin@thenegotiators.com
Robin is a Civil, Domestic and Juvenile Mediator in private practice, affiliated with alternative dispute resolution programs in county courts throughout Georgia. Although a master at both civil and domestic mediations, her real talents are in divorce and juvenile mediations. A certified trainer in mediation, Robin conducts civil and domestic mediation training through the Mediation Training Institute of Atlanta and Atlanta Divorce Mediation. An elementary school teacher, a former social worker and an accomplished author, Robin has presented papers across the country including: Mediation: Within & Between Social Service Agencies, Fatal Attraction: Mediating Cases with Personality Disordered Clients, Orientation for Special Education Mediation, Designing Dispute Resolution Systems in the Workplace and Evaluative Mediation, among others.
Elmer Goble
elmer@thenegotiators.com
Elmer Goble has been mediating general/civil, EEO, special education, church, community, youth and deprivation cases since 1995. More recently he added divorce and family mediations to address the growing need. Elmer continues to teach mediation, conflict resolution, and facilitation to thousands of people in hundreds of classes throughout the US and in foreign countries through the Justice Center of Atlanta. He has been a distinguished instructor there for over 10 years and conducted mediation training for all branches of the military, the US State Department, UDSA organizations, state departments of education, Veterans Affairs, the US Mint and the NSA. Elmer is a trained facilitator, with expertise in coaching executives in business development, team development and strategic planning.
Melissa Heard
melissa@thenegotiators.com
Melissa is a master conflict resolution specialist, mediating since 1992 and actually training mediators since 1998. She is skilled at insurance cases, probate, divorce, custody, adoption, education, employment disputes, family, deprivation and juvenile issues. Melissa received her Masters of Science in Social Work Treatment from the University of Tennessee and worked in residential treatment facilities, for schools and crisis services and in counseling.
Melissa is an advanced practitioner member of the Association for Conflict Resolution, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. She mediates in several states, and is expert in other forms of alternative dispute resolution. Melissa helps people through many mediums, including: radio, television, direct service and training. Oh, she was also a sports anchor for CBS News in Atlanta.
Neera Bahl
neera@thenegotiators.com
Neera is a lawyer and general mediation practitioner; but she specializes in mediations with cultural, human rights, immigration, and diversity issues. Before becoming a mediator, Neera Bahl interned at the Jimmy Carter Center in the Human Rights Division and worked for U.S. Representative, Denise Majette, focusing on human rights and immigration issues. Prior to graduating from John Marshall Law School, Neera served as a law clerk for Fulton County Superior Court Judge Gail S. Tuscan. Neera also has a strong background in science, having been a research assistant at the Emory University department of Dermatology for 16 years and at the University of Alabama for five years. Incredibly, she also holds university degrees in English and Psychology.
Andrew Estes
andy@thenegotiators.com
Andrew W. Estes is a graduate of both Emory University and Emory Law School in Georgia. A practicing attorney since 1968, Andrew is a mediator and an arbitrator with vast experience in torts, contracts, condemnation, construction, malpractice and products liability. His hands-on construction management and negotiation skills in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands following Hurricane Hugo, as well as his drafting and implementation of disaster legislation, earned him high respect among clients. Although all of The Negotiators work in tandem across the United States, Andrew acts as the firm’s primary mediator and regional coordinator throughout northern Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Kelly Charles-Collins
kelly@thenegotiators.com
Kelly Charles-Collins is our newest mediator. Although junior to the firm, she is a licensed attorney in both Florida and Georgia. Kelly has been a litigation specialist since 1995 with a background in criminal defense and employment litigation. As a civil litigation attorney, Kelly represented clients, both at mediation and in the courts, in matters related to employment, housing discrimination and other civil matters. As a criminal defense attorney, she represented juvenile offenders. Kelly has also been an adjunct instructor for a Florida law school, as well as teaching law at the police and correction’s academies in Miami, Florida. In addition to her law degree, Kelly has an M.B.A. in International Business Management. Kelly brings a wealth of legal and negotiation experience to her practice as a mediator.
Susan Martin
susan@thenegotiators.com
As a licensed professional engineer and a lawyer, Susan Martin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the mediation table. She is one of the best at reducing complex issues into resolvable solutions. She mediates with a fervent determination to spare clients the disruption, costs and delays associated with litigation. During her six years as a mediator, she has developed specialties in matters of landlord/tenant, eminent domain, and real estate/zoning. She is also well versed in environmental law, family business issues, estate planning, and bankruptcy. Yet what makes her a special part of the team is her undaunted belief that no dispute, regardless of how massive or complicated, need ever go to court.
Max Arrechea
maxarrechea@hotmail.com
Interested in providing help to the Hispanic community through mediation services, Max became a civil and family/domestic mediator while earning a master's degree in conflict resolution and reconciliation. He is a registered mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution and is a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution.
Max has traveled to different cities in Mexico, as well as most countries in South America to become, not only linguistically, but also culturally fluent in the Hispanic culture. A native of Mexico, he worked for the Institute of Mexico in Atlanta and participated in the San Joaquin County Office of Education, Migrant Education in California.
Max strongly believes in the mediation process and strongly encourages all Hispanic Consulates, Chambers of Commerce, Institutions and other non-profit organizations to take advantage of this well-known and effective alternative dispute resolution process. By adding Max to The Negotiators esteemed team of mediators and arbitrators, we continue to honor our commitment to providing alternatives to everyone, regardless of origin.
Max currently works for the Fulton County Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution and continuously revises information of mediation through Continuing Education seminars. He also holds two bachelor degrees in Psychology and Communications and is committed to helping the Hispanic community resolve all professional, personal, legal and family disputes with minimum pain and expense.
Jana Jasper
jana@thenegotiators.com
Jana Jasper is the Office Manager and long-distance technology facilitator. Whether it is for long distance mediation, or a multi-site business conference, clients are always relieved to know Jana is at the helm of The Negotiators new audio and visual conferencing technologies. Her friendly laugh, assuring demeanor and technical proficiency put long distance participants at ease, allowing them to focus on their meeting. Jana’s background includes being a telecommunications call-center service technician, a 911 Emergency Operator and police investigative aid.
“Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser – in fees, expenses and waste of time.”
- Abraham Lincoln (1850)
