About John Spiegel

John Spiegel has worked exclusively as a divorce mediator and mediation trainer since 1996. Prior to that, from 1985 to 1995, John was a practicing family law attorney. It was through his experiences in litigating family law cases that John became deeply committed to mediation because he saw that it provides a humane and effective alternative to litigation. (See the sidebar note “You’re right…” for the full story.)

John has worked actively to promote the use of mediation for separation and divorce. In 1996, in addition to establishing his private mediation practice, he founded the specialized family mediation program at Jewish Family Services in Baltimore and served as its mediator for a decade. In 2003 and 2004, John served as President of the Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution (MCDR), a statewide professional organization of mediators and other alternative dispute resolution practitioners. From July 2005 through June 2008 he served as President of the Divorce Roundtable of Montgomery County, an interdisciplinary organization composed of judges, attorneys, mediators, and psychotherapists. He has published articles on mediation and law reform issues and lobbied on behalf of MCDR and the Divorce Roundtable before the Maryland General Assembly. In 2001, he received recognition as a Certified Mediator from MCDR.

John also does extensive teaching. He has taught courses in mediation and in conflict resolution at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a regular presenter of workshops and seminars at the Counseling and Career Center of the Montgomery County Commission for Women. John has given presentations on conflict resolution and on separation and divorce to a wide variety of groups including state government agencies, psychotherapists, teachers, PTAs, and religious organizations. He has been a presenter at national conferences, including those of the Association for Conflict Resolution, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, and the Academy of Family Mediators.

John received his legal education and J.D. degree from Yale Law School and his B.A. from Stanford University. He is a member of the Bars of Maryland, the District of Columbia, and California. Prior to establishing his mediation practice, John worked as a family-law attorney in the District of Columbia. From 1987 to 1989 he served as the staff attorney of the Office of Child Abuse and Neglect of the D.C. Superior Court, and in the early 1990’s he taught juvenile law as Adjunct Professor of Law at The American University.

The father of four children, John views mediation as a continuation of his legal work on behalf of children and families.