In the following conversation, Michael Lang and I discuss artistry in mediation, reflective practice, his evolution from attorney to full-time mediator, and the job of the mediator.
A prominent international leader in the conflict resolution field, Michael Lang has been mediating family, commercial, public policy, and organizational disputes since 1978. He is perhaps best known for The Making of a Mediator, his book with Alison Taylor.
Former President and Board member of the Academy of Family Mediators, and former Editor-in-Chief of The Mediation Quarterly, Michael was the founding director of the Master of Arts Program in Conflict Resolution at Antioch University, Professor and Special Advisor for Program and Faculty Development in the Master of Science in Dispute Resolution Program at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC; and co-founder of the Certificate Program in Conflict Resolution at the University of Southern Maine.
Michael was the 2012 recipient of the John Haynes Distinguished Mediator Award from the Association for Conflict Resolution, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field.