Upstate Mediation Center welcomed former Family Court Judge Barry Knobelas the presenter for the June 19th UMC Lunch & Learn program. Over 35 UMC volunteers and interested individuals attended Judge Knobel’s presentation on “The Ultimate Oxymoron: Managing Emotions in Family Court Mediations.”Judge Knobel’s extensive experience from practicing Family Law in South Carolina for over 40 years led to insights that were both inspiring and informative. Among a host of other tips, he encouraged attendee mediators to “let the parties know that ‘mediation is a gift’ given to them by the family court system; and that the parties should be ‘expected’ to make meaningful compromises in order to keep the control of their lives (and their child’s life) in their own hands, and not placed into the hands of complete strangers.” UMC thanks Judge Knobel for generously giving his time and expertise to the center. This presentation was approved by the South Carolina Bar CLE Commission for 1.0 CLE credit.

Lunch & Learns are quarterly, noontime presentations on a variety of topics relevant not only to mediators, but to anyone interested in the challenges and strategies of conflict resolution. The programs offer participants the chance to hear presentations from experts in the field of mediation, network, and discuss current issues in mediation. UMC’s Lunch & Learn programs are quarterly events that are free for UMC volunteers and $20 for all others.

The next Lunch and Learn is scheduled for Friday, September 18th and will feature former Family Court Judge Stephen Bartlett. CLE credit for attorneys is pending. For more information or to reserve a spot, call (864) 370-9771.