Jeanne Franklin

Jeanne Franklin is a certified mediator in Virginia, and has been a practicing attorney since 1971, with special concentration on employment issues, a wide range of healthcare delivery issues, disputes, and policy, and previously, American Indian law. When serving her clients, she has been able to put to work useful knowledge and skills gained from her study in the field of Organization Development. Her work experiences, as well as substantive knowledge from her fields of practice, have taught much about what helps people and groups identify objectives, and find productive ways to achieve them. She has sometimes been called upon to help clients develop large scale projects and programs as the positive development flowing from the resolution of the underlying disputes. As of August 2009, Ms Franklin focuses on the kinds of services offered through Franklin Solutions.

In addition to certification as a mediator, Ms. Franklin serves on the Dispute Resolution Service Council of the American Health Lawyers Association, where she is a mediator panelist. She is chair-elect of the Virginia Joint Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution, and is a panelist with Alexandria Community Mediation Service. Ms. Franklin works collaboratively with other professionals in the ADR community in response to specific project needs. She has been recognized by Virginia Business, in its Legal Elite ADR listing, since 2005. She has written, presented and conducted trainings about various health law issues and uses of early and appropriate dispute resolution methods in evolving healthcare systems and conflicts.

Professional Credentials:

• Certified District Court Mediator – Supreme Court of Virginia
• Licensed attorney in Virginia, District of Columbia, and New Mexico (Inactive)
• Awarded AV Rating by Martindale Hubbell Legal Directory
• Past President – the Virginia Bar Association

Mediation and facilitation are about creating solutions. Mediation is a distinct dispute reso­lution process designed to facilitate discussions between parties in a conflict such as a lawsuit. Mediation and facilitation of planning sessions, study groups and other committee work, make use of good communication skills that are based, in part, on a common idea.

A skillful mediator or facilitator recognizes that adults are able to continue to learn and to do things differently. This learning capacity, al­though often neglected by adults, is a good rea­son for hope in negotiations and discussions.

Parties do not come into mediation by chance. They have probably been disagreeing for some time. They know what they think and they know they are right. That is one reason why they are stuck in a dispute. The mediation process gets people to examine what they know and learn what they don't know.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons that mediation and facilitation are considered to be worthwhile by those who have employed them. Both pro­cesses foster creativity in adults. People like to feel productive and are energized by new learn­ing. One good idea tends to spawn another. And in a group, people often reinforce each other's shift toward open-minded inquiries and sugges­tions.

2450 North Powhatan Street

Arlington, VA. 22207

Phone:  703-684-3550

Fax;      703-533-8977

Email:   [email protected]