About Robert

As a member of both the California and New York State Bar Associations, Bob Cohen brings over 40 years of litigation experience to his mediation practice. He has tried more than 100 bench, arbitration, and jury trials and has been involved in over 1,500 disputed matters. He has further developed his mediation skills through participation in esteemed dispute resolution programs, including the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Initial Mediation Training Program, Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Advanced Divorce Mediation Training Program.

What inspired you to become a mediator?

Without question, my decades of litigating civil disputes inspired me to become a mediator. After my first decade of practice I concluded that most litigants (not all, but most) could neither afford the cost, unpredictability or energy required to go to trial and that most (but not all) cases could be quantified as to case settlement value well before trial/ as to their settlement value.

What do you find most rewarding about being a mediator?

After I worked with some of the top mediators as a mediation advocate I recognized that at its best mediation can be a magical and transformative experience. And, that even if the magic did not happen in any particular mediation it was still a worthy exploration of the issues and the facts — especially when the parties were transparent and negotiated in good faith.

What personal values guide you in your mediation practice, and how do they influence your work?

The values that guide me in my mediation practice are the same values that guide me in my life. I believe that one must look for the best in any situation; one must listen to others and sincerely acknowledge their positions; one must be empathetic and sensitive to the pain and distress that litigants are going through, and in my view the mediator should be honest and utilize the “golden rule” in communicating with all counsel and parties. My conclusion is that where trust, respect and even likeability are established there is a substantial chance a negotiated settlement can be had.