David Coher

About David

David Coher is a mediator, arbitrator, Georgetown University graduate, and licensed attorney in California, New York, and Washington D.C. He served 10 years as Chair for the Committee on Group Insurance Programs with the State Bar of California. He has also served the City of Pasadena on the Redistricting Task Force, Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals.

He is an arbitrator recognized by the American Arbitration Association and member of the AAA Commercial, Construction, Energy, and Technology Panels. David serves as a mediator and arbitrator for a wide range of case types for the Mediation Center of Los Angeles.

Interview with David

We approached David to be our March Mediator Spotlight as he is nearing his one year anniversary as a member of our panel to learn a bit about his journey, practice, and personal routines that enable him to best serve his clients.

To start at the beginning we asked about what drew him to mediation and how his pivot from attorney to mediator informed his lifestyle. Agency is what he emphasized. 

“I was initially drawn to mediation because it offered something that litigation often does not… In court, outcomes are handed down. In mediation, outcomes are built.” 

David expanded on the appeal of becoming a mediator, mentioning that the distinction between the two processes mattered because of the substantially increased emotional damage a traditional court trial can inflict. Initially he approached mediation as a problem-solving mechanism but that soon evolved into viewing his practice as a structured opportunity for resolution. That growth in perspective in turn led to his appreciation for “the subtle architecture behind durable agreements.”

Like any profession, theory and knowledge can only take one so far before practice becomes of the essence. I asked David about what nuances he discovered only once he was in the mediation room. 

“I did not fully appreciate how much courage mediation requires from the participants… from the outside, it can seem like a strategic negotiation exercise, and yet at its heart, mediation asks people to confront uncertainty, reassess assumptions, and sometimes let go of narratives they have held for years.”

Given that David was a practicing attorney in a few states, his answer is curious yet informative to the emotional capacity he reserves for the people involved in the cases he is responsible for. He went on to express how this realization reinforced “structure and strategy” and also “patience and respect for how difficult those moments can be.”

Mediation is intended to be a peaceful exchange of ideas and negotiations among parties ready to resolve a dispute. When emotions run high as they usually do, a mediator’s emotional intelligence is essential for the course of the session, David listens in for something specific yet critical: misalignment. He pinpoints the root cause of the resistance with tact and compassion. He questions motives involving pride, appearances, validation, and strength. David uses those highly tense moments as information as to where the conflict truly lies. 

“My role is not to eliminate emotion but to translate it into something usable – information that can guide movement rather than entrenchment.”

The skillset to conduct oneself in such a manner is not inherent and can always be improved, which is why David shapes his leadership style with mentoring and community service. He leads volunteers and counsels youth, requiring him to practice “patience, clarity, and the ability to align diverse motivations toward a shared outcome.”

He found in his interpersonal commitments that the flexing of authority is rarely ever productive and that credibility goes much further. That which is built upon consistency, preparation, and listening. 

For maximum effectiveness, the skillset that David Coher dedicates his lifestyle improving is cemented in his time off. When he is free from his many hats, David spends time outdoors, hiking or doing conservation work practicing presence that restores perspective. His mediation soundtrack though is something of contrast from the peaceful bird calls and wind gusts through branches but equally as harmonious, Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day.” David says this song just feels like a good mediation session where everything seems to just fall into a place where resolution is the only outcome.