About Us

Meet Professor Mari Frank, Esq., CIPP

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Mari J. Frank, Esq. is an attorney/mediator, author, professor, radio show host, and Certified Information Privacy Professional in private practice in Laguna Niguel, California. She has worked in the District Attorney’s Office, practiced law in insurance defense, and has had a general civil law/mediation practice for 26 years. She has successfully resolved thousands of disputes as a neutral. She is a negotiation trainer/mediation trainer and teaches mediation and negotiation at the University of California Irvine. She’s an appointed mediation panel member of the Orange County Superior Court Civil, and she’s a certified trainer for Continuing Education of Bar for the State Bar of California. She received her post-law school negotiation and mediation certification from Mc George School of Law, Harvard Law School, and Pepperdine Law School.

Mari is a skilled attorney/mediator with over two decades expertise in conflict prevention and deflection. She helps her clients achieve the best outcome with minimum stress. Her process of “solutioneering” fosters conflict healing and resolution–and is far more financially and emotionally satisfying than a court battle. Aside from avoiding soaring litigation costs, mediation gives you confidentiality and privacy.

In Mari’s office, clients participate in a private mediation process; the public doesn’t hear embarrassing statements or accusations, nor does anyone make a public court record of financial and sensitive information. Ms. Frank’s unique collaborative style provides a safe harbor where proposals are shared in acomfortable setting managed by an expert facilitator.

As author of Negotiation Breakthroughs and Stepping Stones to Success, Ms. Frank assists clients to reach a fair, mutually acceptable settlement while keeping personal and business information private. Although disputing parties must to reveal all information required to be discoverable to each other litigation, disputants should not be forced to reveal confidential information in public court proceedings.

Mari’s expertise as a Certified Information Privacy Professional, and an experienced attorney/mediator, and professor of negotiations and mediation will enable you to attain a satisfying agreement without compromising your confidentiality, privacy or your financial resources. Ms. Frank’s respectful, compassionate approach builds trust in her, the process, and the outcome. Going through a court battle or engaging in intense conflict is challenging, but in a safe and private setting, the resolution of issues in mediation, presents an opportunity for healthy emotional and professional growth.

Mari’s clients move beyond the anger to achieve positive outcomes for all the stakeholders. She demonstrates her commitment to a satisfying resolution for the parties by creating a pleasing environment including refreshments and an inviting atmosphere. Mari guides parties to explore their underlying interests, and brainstorm solutions to challenging disagreements. You will be educated — not to overpower the other parties, but to empower yourself to create solutions to get what you need in a manner that will be acceptable to the others involved.

Mari’s clients obtain tools to influence opposing parties to understand perspectives and interests so they will be open and more agreeable. By engaging powerful yet gentle techniques, legalknowledge, and privacy protection expertise, Mari’s mediation and conflict healing processesensure disputing persons a safe haven to explore all interests s and attain a gratifying settlement.

Ms. Frank was the founding President of the Orange County, California Chapter of the Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution. She served for three years as founding Chair of the State Bar of California’s first Mediation Committee within the State Bar Standing Committee for Legal Services, and she chaired the Executive Committee on Legal Services to Middle Income Persons.

Ms. Frank served on the Mediation Advisory Board for the Irvine office of the American Arbitration Association, and served on the very first board of the Southern California Mediation Association. She is a professional speaker and trainer (professional member of the National Speaker’s Association) and provides keynotes and workshops for businesses, organizations, professionals and lawyers. She is on the National Advisory Board of Divorce Magazine, and is a member of the Orange County Bar Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. Since 2001 she’s been an Orange County Sheriff Reserve in the Professional Services Division and serves on several advisory boards for non-profit organizations. Ms. Frank has taught negotiation and mediation to hundreds of law and students as a law professor, and thousands of attorneys as a Certified Trainer for Continuing Legal Education for the California Bar.

Aside from her own private mediation practice, Ms. Frank has served as a neutral for the American Arbitration Association, the Franchise Arbitration and Mediation, Inc., Dispute Resolution Management, and the U.S. Federal Administrative Panel of Neutrals. She has authored many published articles, and a textbook on negotiation and conflict resolution. Mari has been featured on Dateline, 48 Hours, Montel, O’Reilly Factor, ABC, MSNBC, NBC, Fox News, Montel, etc. and she has been quoted in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, the OC Register the Chicago Tribune, the Wall St. Journal, the American Bar Association Journal and more.

She has been the guest on over 300 radio shows and hosts two radio shows at the University of California, Irvine: Privacy Piracy airing Monday mornings from at 8 AM on KUCI 88.9 FM in Irvine and Prescriptions for Healing Conflict on Monday mornings 8:30 AM on KUCI 88.9 FM in Irvine. Both also stream on the internet on www.kuci.org and podcast on Itunes. She has written dozens of published articles and four books. To learn more visit www.MariFrank.com; www.kuci.org/privacypiracy; and www.IdentityTheft.org.