Abe Melamed - Mediator
California - Los Angeles | Century City | San Diego | Oakland
Outside California - New York | Arizona | Colorado
I have joined the panel of neutrals at Signature Resolution. To book a mediation please visit signatureresolution.com or contact my case manager, Moonhey Kim, at
213-433-5772 or mkim@signatureresolution.com.
Abe Melamed is known by his clients and colleagues as "The Creative Mediator." He is not one of the strait-laced, "retirement gig" mediators you may be used to. Born out of a passion for combining law, psychology and emotional intelligence, Abe has a keen ability to authentically connect with each party in a mediation. Abe prides himself in his extremely thorough preparation for each mediation, tapping into an ability to grasp and recall even the most complex and voluminous records, allowing him to help the parties feel heard, evaluate risk, and craft creative resolutions to complex disputes. Abe also follows up until matters are resolved, and thinks creatively to help parties come up with solutions they never thought possible.
Practice Areas
Sexual harassment & Sexual Assault.
Employment.
Class Actions - Data Privacy, Consumer, Wage & Hour/PAGA.
Business & intellectual property.
Personal injury, medical malpractice & mass tort.
What Other Mediators Have To Say About Abe
“Abe is someone who has been very purposeful about his transition from litigation to mediation. He did not just retire into it like many others, he made it into his career. He is passionate, hard-working, innovative and tech-forward. Abe is a great example of the future of mediation.” - Jeff Krivis.
“Abe exudes a keen awareness of all of the key elements of the mediation process and what it takes to help guide the parties to successful resolutions.” - Gig Kyriacou.
"Abe has an abundance of smarts and talent and an ability to cut to the core of the issues in the mediation. I recommend him most highly." - Vivien B. Shelanski.
"I highly recommend Abe Melamed as a mediator. Abe is always prepared, hardworking, knowledgeable about a variety of mediation techniques that make him versatile, and always creative. Use Abe if you want to get your case settled!" - Chaim Book.
Podcast & Blog
Front-Loading the Process: Pre-Mediation Exchange of Information & Documents, with Lee Jay Berman & Abe Melamed
Lee Jay Berman has been a full-time mediator in California for 28 years, in addition to being an executive coach, trainer, and author. Hear Abe and Lee Jay discuss why it is key for lawyers to front-load the mediation process as much as possible through a pre-mediation exchange of both information and documents. Abe and Lee Jay share the ground rules of confidentiality and how to structure an exchange in a way that accounts for any concerns of the parties.
Executive sessions/Attorney meetings during mediation: building rapport & trust, with Gig Kyriacou & Abe Melamed
Gig Kyriacou has been an attorney in California for more than 30 years and a mediator for more than 25 years. He’s received some of the highest accolades a mediator can receive and has been recognized as a Top Neutral in CA, a Superlawyer, and a Master Neutral. Hear Abe and Gig discuss the importance of executive sessions/attorney meetings during a mediation, their process for convening and running these sessions, when the best time to do so is, why listening is key, and more.
Striking the Balance between Being Evaluative & Facilitative in a Mediation, with Jan Schau & Abe Melamed
Jan Schau of ADR Services, Inc. is recognized as one of the leading mediators in Southern California, with nearly 20 years of experience as a mediator following a long and successful career as a litigator. Jan and Abe to discuss how lawyers can better assist their mediator strike the balance between being evaluative and being facilitative and empathetic in a mediation. Hear Jan and Abe discuss how to strike a balance between being empathetic and evaluative in a mediation, why lawyers should be more proactive in reaching out to mediators to better prepare them for mediation, and what Jan wishes more lawyers would tell their clients about the mediation process.
Virtual mediation 3 years later: best practices for online proceedings, with Ruth Raisfeld & Abe Melamed
Ruth Raisfeld is an attorney in New York with more than 40 years of experience, 20 as a litigator, and 20 as a mediator, providing alternative dispute resolution services to law firms, corporations, nonprofits, individuals, and neutral panels. Ruth is highly regarded by her peers and by the attorneys she has worked with. Hear Abe and Ruth talk about the do’s and don'ts in virtual mediation, how to be most effective as lawyers and mediators during Zoom meetings, preparing materials for screen share, going through proper virtual training, and more. Learn more about Ruth and Abe at RDRADR.com and MelamedMediation.com
How should a lawyer prepare their client for a mediation? Tune in to a new episode of the Mediator in the Middle podcast, where I discuss this topic with Chaim Book, a renowned employment lawyer who represents both defendants and plaintiffs, and also mediates cases. We discuss explaining the negotiation process to clients, preparing them for bad news, discussing how to present relevant facts, and much more. Links to the episode are in the comments. Be sure to subscribe to never miss an episode!!
Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall during a high-profile mediation of a sexual harassment case? Do you want to see what the mediation process looks like from the points of view of not just the plaintiff, not just the defendant, but also the mediator? Today you can do just that, with this mock mediation of a sexual harassment case based on real facts from a real jury verdict. Watch Mona Tashroudian, a skilled trial attorney and founding partner of Tashroudian Law Group, APC, duke it out with noted defense attorney Jeff Thurrell, the regional managing partner of the Irvine office of Fisher & Phillips. And watch Abe Melamed - the creative mediator, assists the parties in exchanging information and bridging the gap to get to a mediator's proposal and resolution.
Customizing each mediation by approaching it with a fresh set of eyes, with Jeff Kichaven & Abe Melamed
Jeff Kichaven is in his third decade as a professional mediator in California. His passion is helping people make better decisions, and helping lawyers be better lawyers. Hear Jeff and Abe discuss the importance of understanding client temperament, recognizing that no two cases are the same, why lawyers need to think like mediators before a session, prepping clients to receive bad news, and much more.
Video Series - Creative Resolutions That Come From Mediation
Virtual v. In-Person Mediation
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many things in our lives, including mediation. We have seen that virtual proceedings can be extremely effective, and in some cases even more effective than in-person mediation might be. For example, in the virtual setting parties are immediately more at ease in what can be a very daunting process, because they appear via Zoom from the comfort of their own home or office. This removes one of the initial obstacles to successful resolution that a mediator often faces; making the parties feel comfortable with the forum and the mediator.
That said, there are times when an in-person mediation is most effective. Having been fully vaccinated, Abe is currently conducting mediations both in-person and via Zoom. Abe is available for in-person mediations in California, New York and Arizona, but may have earlier availability in each location for a virtual mediation. One critical factor that Abe believes is essential to effective mediation in the virtual setting is that the parties not negotiate while they are hungry. So, Abe makes sure that his office has lunch (and sometimes dinner as well for mediations that go late) delivered to all parties during any full-day mediation, to make sure that everyone is negotiating on a full stomach and at peak performance. That is one example of the small differences that sets Abe apart.
Why My Office Setup For Virtual Mediation Is Critical To The Success of a Mediation.
Why My Office Setup For Virtual Mediation Is Critical To The Success of a Mediation.
The Mediation Game
Can you guess the result of these real mediations??!! Play The Mediation Game!!
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The Mediation Game E-Book.pdf