Mediation with Angela Hamann and Yola Menard St. Clair

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Yola lives in Florida where she teaches high school students while working on her Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University.  

She wears many hats in her community as an educator, advocate, and researcher.  Recently, she adopted a girl's school in Haiti where she has been supplying the school with the necessary tools to promote health, education, empowerment, and growth for these young ladies' futures.   

One day, she hopes to teach dispute resolution to the girls at the school in Haiti.  For now, she is eager and excited to help families everywhere work out challenges they face in a setting that promotes people having the ability to work out their differences peacefully instead of feeling they are not heard and ultimately taking their disputes to a court or leading to violence.  

Yola speaks fluent English, Creole, and Spanish. 

Haven't we all been through so much as a community, and some as parents, with a division of viewpoints, the pandemic, and a variety of conflicts surrounding societal inequities; conversations that take place in a mediation setting are necessary now more than ever.  

My focus has been on examining difficult, honest conversations and finding ways to make sense of it and live with the differences in relationships at home, work, and in the community.  We can have those conversations in a safe, neutral atmosphere where people feel heard and empowered when they leave the session.  

EXPERIENCE:

Certified Mediator -May 2014 - Current

Accord Alaska, LLC | Anchorage, AK 

• *Certified Mediator in Florida Supreme Court Circuit and County Courts.
• · Conduct interviews with disputants, witnesses, and any additional relevant groups or individuals
• · Use mediation techniques to facilitate communication between disputants, to further parties' understanding of different perspectives, and to guide parties toward mutual agreement
• · Assist with dispute resolutions using effective problem-solving and by guiding mutual understanding of opposing views
• · Draft settlement paperwork and gathered signatures from disputants to provide documentation of agreed-upon solutions
• · Design training courses to assist participants in understanding the mediation process better and get better outcomes
• · Awarded AK Court contract to facilitate divorce, custody, and children in need of aid mediations.
• · Provide data collection to courts for grants and submit demographic and outcome reports per requirements of the contract. 

Legal Experience

I have been employed as a Paralegal in the states of Alaska, Maryland, Florida, New York, California and in the District of Columbia.   As a Paralegal, I have worked on a variety of cases for several brilliantly staffed firms.  Case types such as civil, (breach of contract, personal injury, tort) adoption, Children in Need of Aid (CINA)/ICWA, juvenile offender, criminal (high profile murder, gang violence, sexual assault) and insurance defense. 

EDUCATION:

Doctor of Philosophy - Conflict Analysis and Resolution

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 

Expected Graduation: Dec 2024

Master of Science - Negotiation and Dispute Resolution

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY, Omaha, Nebraska,  Grad: January 2016

Bachelor of Science - Legal Studies

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND,   Adelphi, Maryland, Grad: January 2010

RECENT CERTIFICATIONS 

• 2021 Autism Speaks
• 2021 Florida Circuit/County Court Certified Mediator
• 2022 Certified Associate Project Manager
• 2022 Adverse Childhood Experience and Early Trauma
• 2022 Family Coaching- Marriage and Couples 
• 2022 Gestalt Psychotherapy Techniques
• 2022 Mindful Intimacy Coaching
• 2022 Planned Parenthood Sex EducationTraining for Educators

VOLUNTEERISM:

2012-2015 CASA- Court Appointed Special Advocate - Anchorage Alaska 

2014- 2019 Small Claims and Landlord Tenant Mediator – 

Anchorage District Court

2015- 2019 Founding Member/Secretary of the 

Professional Mediators of Alaska– Board of Directors

2015, 2017- Mock Trial Judge – Anchorage Bar Association – 

Young Lawyers Assoc.

2022 @ Residential Institute- Nova Southeastern University Africa WG- Roundtable Discussion Presentation on Critical Race Theory