Maine Association of Mediators (MAM) presents a Three Day Family Law course designed for mediators, as well as legal and other helping professionals who want to be on the CADRES Family Matters roster or who encounter family law issues in their work. *There will also be an estimated one-hour reading and at-home exercises following the meetings to prepare for the subsequent training sessions.*
FAMILY LAW training provides 12 hours of family law instruction. The training covers the three major areas of divorce and family law cases: children, property, and support. Topics include parental rights and responsibilities, marital property, child support, spousal support, post-judgement actions, and other family law issues. During the training, participants will be introduced to relevant statuses, court forms, and mediation agreements. Participants will also be calculating child support obligations using the Maine Child Support Guidelines and statutes for a variety of scenarios.
There are 12 hours of CLE (one of which is ethics)
Instructors:
Pam Waite - A graduate of Smith College and the University of Maine School of Law, Pam represented the State of Maine as an Assistant Attorney General primarily in employment and tax matters for over 30 years. A skilled negotiator, she trained to become a mediator and now mediates privately; serves on the court rosters for family matters and foreclosure cases; and is also on the roster as a mediator for the Maine Human Rights Commission and the Maine Department of Education. Pam believes strongly in party self-determination and the importance of trying to resolve disputes by agreement as an alternative to engaging in lengthy and expensive litigation.
Lucy Wess - Lucy Wess, Esq. is a professional mediator, educator, and trainer who is now the owner of Mindful Mediation, LLC in Frankfort, ME. She is the Director of the Maine Agricultural Mediation Program (MAMP) through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Lucy has extensive experience "in the seat" in a variety of private mediation settings as well as CADRES family matters mediation in the Maine District Courts. She is a member and serves on the Board of Governors of the Maine Association of Mediators (MAM). Lucy has also worked alongside students, staff, and administrators in various roles in higher education, including teaching History and Culture at SIAS International University in the People's Republic of China. She enjoys vegetable and flower gardening, learning and practicing expressive arts and creative writing, reading historical fiction, working on household projects, and daily outdoor adventures with her sweet and energetic hound-mix, Maisy.
Renée Bunker - Renée is an attorney, mediator, and facilitator. She has worked in every branch of the federal government and for the Maine State Legislature. For over 21 years before segueing into the mediation, Renée served as an Assistant United States Attorney in San Diego, California and Portland, Maine. She conducted over 30 criminal trials, presented numerous oral arguments before appellate courts, and engaged in hundreds of plea negotiations. Renée served as the Appellate Chief in the District of Maine working in a variety of matters, including the intersection between Maine and the federal laws regarding domestic violence. She has a private mediation practice, serves on court rosters for family matters and foreclosure cases, and works as a substitute volunteer facilitator at the Center for Grieving Children. Renée holds a B.S. in Psychology and M.A. in Political Science from the Pennsylvania State University, where she proudly competed as a NCAA Division I gymnast for four years. She obtained her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and is licensed to practice law in Maine, Massachusetts, and California.
