Changing the way the world navigates conflict

Rafael Alves is a partner at Souto Correa Advogados and a professor at FGV Direito SP. He holds a Ph.D. in Procedural Law from USP and an LL.M. from NYU. Rafael acts in domestic and international arbitration, mediation, and negotiation, and frequently serves as arbitrator in Brazil.

Judge Sergio Valls Esponda has a law degree and master’s degree and has completed a specialty course at the University of Salamanca and has written numerous legal articles.He was Commissioner of the Institute of Transparency and Access to Information in the State of Mexico.He worked at the National Human Rights Commission and served as a Judge from 2010 to 2025.He is a member of the Senate group which supervised the project which led to the enactment of the recent law of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in Mexico.Judge Valls Esponda is co-author of the book “Tiempos de Justicia” which has been edited by the Supreme Court of Mexico.He recently concluded a term as president of the National Council of Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms and as a director of the Mediation Center in the Poder Judiciary in the State of Mexico.

Zinta Harris is the owner of Resolve Estate Law, a Brisbane-based boutique law firm specialising in contested estates and complex estate administrations. Over the last 25 years in practice, Zinta has helped steer dozens of complex and bitter estate battles to resolution without going to court.

Zinta is the author of “Rest in Peace – How to Manage an Estate Dispute without Inheriting Heartache” an award-winning book written for those facing and actual or anticipated fight over inheritance. She also runs Collaborative Practice Training for Wills and Estates professionals nationally looking for a holistic out of court pathway to resolve family conflict over inheritance.

Zinta is the only dual-accredited specialist in succession law and business law in Queensland, and the only specialist of this kind in Australia who is also a mediator and an accredited collaborative practitioner. Zinta has received the following recognitions for her work in this area:

·      2024 Resolution Institute - Innovation in Practice Award

·      2021 Peacemaker of the Year award

·      2021 Queensland Law Society - Agnes McWhinney award and Outstanding Accredited Specialist award

·      2019 Women Lawyers Association of Queensland - Trailblazer of the Year

·      2019 Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards - Sole Practitioner of the Year

R. Paul Faxon, J.D. practices in the areas of closely-held and family business law, commercial real estate transactions, and legal conflict assessment and resolution.  He has taught at New England Law School and Boston College Law School. He also serves as a Senior Consultant with Continuity Family Business Consulting. Paul has been involved in Collaborative Law for many years and served as an attorney in one of the first cases to apply Collaborative Law to a business dispute.  He is a past President of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council and has served on the Board of the Global Collaborative Law Council.  Paul has presented numerous times at the International Association of Collaborative Professional’s North American and European annual conferences and published articles on Collaborative Law topics in trade and professional journals.  He has also spoken on conflict resolution at the Family Firm Institute’s and Attorneys for Family Held Enterprises’ national conferences, as well as the annual meeting of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section. Paul has served as a presenter as well as leader at numerous Collaborative Law trainings, including in Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Spain, Italy and Holland.    

Marc Sheridan has represented individuals, closely-held and family businesses, and multi- national clients for over twenty years concerning commercial disputes and employment discrimination claims instate and federal trial and appellate courts, and arbitral forums. He has extensive litigation experience representing corporate clients on risk transfer and liability issues involving commercial leases and construction contracts.

In addition to his litigation experience, Mr. Sheridan has a private mediation practice and is a panel mediator for the Supreme Court, Westchester County Commercial Division and Civil Panels, and Westchester County and Bronx County Surrogate’s Court Panels, and an employment discrimination panel mediator for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Mr. Sheridan co-authored the 9th Judicial District Presumptive Mediation Program Rules and the Westchester County Surrogate’s Court Presumptive Mediation Program. Mr. Sheridan is also a Board Member for Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises (AFHE) and Treasurer for the Westchester County Bar Association. Mr. Sheridan isa former Chair of the Westchester County Bar ADR Committee, and a member of the New York State Bar Association ADR Section. Mr. Sheridan has also made numerous CLE presentations on employment law and ADR topics, including training for mediators on mediating personal injury matters, family business, and trust and estate disputes.

Over the last decade Mr. Sheridan has become a recognized speaker on Civil Collaborative Practice. He is Co-Chair of the Trainers Networking and Development Committee for the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), and the Northeast Regional Director for the Global Collaborative Law Council (GCLC), and has trained numerous lawyers and other professionals on Civil Collaborative Practice both domestically and internationally.

Henry Yampolsky is a best-selling author ofDis-Solving Conflict from Within: An Inner Path for Conflict Transformationand a leading expert in conflict resolution and trauma-informed practices. He serves as Assistant Director for Education, Outreach, and Conflict Resolution at Virginia Tech’s Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education and is an affiliate faculty member at the university’s Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention.

A globally recognized educator and mediator, Henry has taught at institutions such as Columbia Law School, the New York Peace Institute, and the International Gandhi Center in India. He has worked extensively with Mediators Beyond Borders, training professionals in Ukraine and Brazil, and recently served on the faculty of the Nelson Mandela Washington Fellowship. His contributions to global peace-building earned him a prestigious Fulbright fellowship and a Mediation Synergy Award from the Ukrainian Academy of Mediation. 

Previously a trial lawyer in Philadelphia, Henry blends legal acumen with a holistic, trauma-aware approach to conflict transformation. He holds a J.D. from Temple University and a B.S. in International Relations from the University of Scranton. Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, he now lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where he continues to teach, write, and inspire compassionate conflict transformation around the world.

Nadia Mesa Del Castillo from Madrid, Spain, serves as President of the ENCP (European Network for Collaborative Practice), as Treasurer of the ACF (Asociación Abogados Colaborativos de Familia) and is a Member of the ADCM (Asociación Derecho Colaborativo de Madrid). She has been a lawyer since 1995, and is a collaborative lawyer, family mediator, conciliator and legal coach, specializing in family, inheritance, and homeowners' association law as well as civil law.

She studied law at the Complutense University of Madrid and completed a Master's degree in Business Tax Consultancy at the Instituto de Empresa (IE) in Madrid, then began her career in tax and administrative litigation. She has developed expertise in all branches of law, including administrative, civil, commercial, criminal, and labor law, eventually deciding to focus on civil law, especially family and inheritance law.

However, she was not satisfied with what she was doing because she felt that she was not helping clients to truly solve their problems, instead merely getting them out of a tight spot. She was deeply dissatisfied with the profession because it seemed that the only way to solve problems was through aggressive court battles, and mediation didn't really work either in Spain.

When she discovered collaborative law, she knew she had found her path. Collaborative law is more than an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) method, it’s a radical change in attitude towards the practice of law. It is not only about applying extrajudicial methods to reach agreements, but also about litigation practice. It is a different attitude, a shift in the mindset, a different approach to practicing law. She has acquired the necessary skills to help clients make the best decisions for their lives, thereby contributing to a culture of peace.

Ana Luiza Panyagua Etchalus is an integrative lawyer who, after many years of practicing traditional litigation, sought innovative alternatives for her profession. She transitioned to proactive and preventive law, as well as conflict management and resolution. She holds a Law degree from PUCRS (Brazil) and a Master's in International Trade Law from the Azmoz Foundation/University of the Basque Country, Spain;  Specialist in Legal Psychology from Imed (Brazil),  postgraduate degree in Neuroscience, Positive Psychology, and Mindfulness from PUCPR (Brazil). She is currently a PhD candidate in Political and Humanitarian Studies at Fernando Pessoa University in Porto, Portugal; is a family, civil, and commercial mediator certified by several institutions, and a collaborative lawyer trained by the Global Collaborative Law Council (USA), where she currently serves on the board of directors. She is also an accredited mediator and arbitrator by Eurocamaras/Brazil, and certified in Collaborative Contracts and Vested methodology by the University of Tennessee (USA); member of Mediators Beyond Borders International, she completed her advanced training in Conscious Contracts® directly with Linda Alvarez and J. Kim Wright, a methodology for which she is now a trainer. She is also a writer and author of several scientific articles, a mentor, and a professor.

Julia A. McAninch, Psy.D. practices in Nashville, Tennessee as a Licensed Psychologist, Collaborative Divorce Coach, and Rule 31 Listed Family Mediator with specialized training in Domestic Violence.  Dr. McAninch is a  PsyPact provider enabling her to work with clients in most states within the US.  Dr. McAninch began working with families going through the transitions of divorce 16 years ago and has helped establish the Collaborative Divorce Coach role in Tennessee.  Though this area of practice she expanded into helping families with resolution of estate and business matters. Dr. McAninch is a founding member and Past President of her practice group, Collaborative Divorce Nashville, and is an international Trainer with the ADR Learning Lab.  She is a graduate of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) Leadership Academy and works with organizations on leadership and team development, particularly during times of conflict.  Dr. McAninch is completing her six-year tenure as an IACP Board Member and is the Immediate Past President.  She is a founding Co-Chair of the IACP Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee, an area where she has dedicated more than 20 years of her education, training, and professional work. 

Kate Vitasek is an international authority for her award-winning research and Vested® business model for highly collaborative business relationships. Lauded by World Trade Magazine as one of the “Fabulous 50+1” most influential people impacting global commerce, she has been featured on CNN International, Bloomberg, NPR, Fox Business News, and Forbes.

Passionate in her quest to help companies transform their business relationships, Vitasek launched the University of Tennessee’s Certified Deal Architect program which was named the #4 executive education program in the world by European Business Review. Vitasek speaks around the world and is known for her practical and research-based advice on how to get collaboration right and build better long-term business relationships.

Vitasek is the author of eight books and over 400 articles in publications including Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive Magazine, The Economist, FAST Company, Information Week, CIO Magazine, World Financial Review and Supply Chain Management Review.

She is in both the Sourcing Industry Group and the International Association of Outsourcing Professional’s “Hall of Fame,” is a World Commerce and Contracting “Fellow,” and has been named a “Power Influencer” by World Financial Review. Prior to joining the University of Tennessee, Vitasek’s storied career includes positions with P&G, Microsoft, Accenture, Stream International and Supply Chain Visions – a boutique-consulting firm she founded which was recognized by ARC Advisory Group as one of the “10 Coolest” boutique consulting firms.

Jeffrey T. Zaino, Esq. is the Vice President of the Commercial Division of the American Arbitration Association in New York. He oversees administration of the large, complex commercial caseload, user outreach, and panel of commercial neutrals in New York. He joined the Association in 1990. Mr. Zaino is dedicated to promoting ADR methods and services. His professional affiliations include the American Bar Association, Connecticut Bar Association, District of Columbia Bar Association, New York State Bar Association (Dispute Resolution Section - Executive Committee Member and Chair of the Blog Committee and Blog Administrator for the Section), New York City Bar Association (Member of the Arbitration Committee and Affiliate Member of the ADR Committee), Board of Advisors of the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution, New York Law School Advisory Committee, and Westchester County Bar Association. He has also written and published extensively on the topics of election reform and ADR and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and Bloomberg to discuss national election reform efforts and the Help America Vote Act.

Dr. Anita Dorczak is a collaborative lawyer/trainer and mediator in Alberta, Canada with over 30 years of experience in resolving conflicts.

In addition to a law degree and a Ph.D. both from the University of Alberta in 1990, she has a Master’s degree in English Philology and speaks English, Polish and Spanish fluently.

She is a Certified Elder Mediator, Parenting Coordinator, and Listening Professional. She is also a Certified MBSR and yoga practitioner.

She is passionate about innovative approaches to conflict resolution and has presented on them internationally at legal and non-legal conferences in Europe, Canada, USA, South America, and Australia. She has taught courses on Collaborative Law in Spain (in 2015, 2016, 2022), Canada and the USA, and most recently in Poland.

She is a member of the GCLC, IACP, AFCC, CBA, International Society for Humor Studies, and ABA (past co-chair of the Collaborative Law Committee of the Dispute Resolution section).

Chris Farish is a partner in the firm of Quaid Farish, LLC., in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is a Board-Certified in Family Law, and a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Family Lawyers.

Chris focuses on consensual resolution of family disputes whenever possible using Collaborative Divorce, mediation, and other consensual dispute resolution processes. Chris has his mediation certification from the distinguished Straus Institute at Pepperdine Law School.

Chris is a two-term Past President of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and is currently on the board of Collaborative Divorce Texas. Chris has presented on Collaborative Practice and consensual dispute resolution in several U.S. states at statewide and local conferences including multiple times at the Texas Advanced Family Law Course and the Texas Collaborative Law Course, multiple times at the IACP Annual Networking and Education Forum, at the 2018 International Malaysia Law Conference in Kuala Lumpur, at the 2019 Ontario Collaborative Law Federation joint conference in Ottawa and in 2019 at the 2nd Brazilian Congress on Collaborative Practice in Sau Paulo, Brazil.

Cheryl Panther, CPA/PFS, ADFA/CDFA is a shareholder at LBMC, PC and co-leader of LBMC’s practice area for expert financial services to family law and estate attorneys and their clients. Prior to this she was the Founder of Panther Financial Planning, LLC (PFP), a registered investment adviser (Tennessee) and Panther Financial Divorce Solutions, LLC, a CPA firm (Tennessee). She provides divorce financial consulting services and traditional financial planning as a CPA financial planner.  Cheryl executes a variety of specialized divorce financial services for clients and attorneys, including support as a neutral financial and tax professional in collaborative divorce, divorce mediation, and consulting and testifying in traditional divorce cases.  She has presented a variety of training programs for collaborative divorce, mediation, and financial and taxation topics.  

Cheryl has been a CPA for more than 30 years and earned the prestigious Personal Financial Specialist designation from the American Institute of CPAs. She is also a Tennessee Rule 31 Listed Family Mediator with Special Training in Domestic Violence. She began service on the board of directors for the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals in 2020 for which she currently serves as Treasurer, chairs the Membership Committee, and is a past faculty member. Cheryl served on the board of directors for her local practice group, Collaborative Divorce Nashville from 2014 – 2020 and is a past president. She also served on the board of directors for the Association of Divorce Financial Planners from 2022 – 2024 after having been a member of its Strategic Vision Committee for several years.

Ellen Waldman is the Vice President of Advocacy and Educational Outreach at the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR). A former law professor, Ellen has been active in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution, with an emphasis on mediation and mediation ethics, for close to three decades. In the area of dispute resolution, she writes, trains and consults in a broad range of topics and cases. Former chair of the International Mediation Institute’s ethics committee, and task-force member for the California judicial council’s working-group on training requirements for court-connected mediators, Waldman has been deeply involved in policy questions relating to the qualification and ethics training of mediators.

 She has published more than 25 articles on numerous dispute resolution topics, including the first book-length treatment of ethical dilemmas in mediation. In her work for CPR, she focuses on dispute prevention in the context of business-to-business relationships.