MEDIATOR

Eric Piety, MA

Eric earned his mediation training at Loyola Law School-Center for Conflict Resolution in Los Angeles. He is currently the Director and Primary Mediator at South Bay Mediation. Eric was trained as a behavior therapist and earned his Master’s in Psychology from Cal State Northridge. He has over 20 years of experience in intervening in disputes and de-escalating conflict. He has worked with over 200 clients to help them reach an agreement for their divorce.

Alyssa Barrett

With a discerning and helpful spirit, Alyssa is able to come alongside those in conflict and facilitate the interests of both parties towards an equitable solution. Alyssa studied Human Development with an emphasis in Counseling. She went on to receive her certification as a mediator in the State of California and followed that with a specialization in Divorce Mediation. Alyssa grew up with parents who were active volunteers and Certified Christian Conciliators. This instilled an innate ability to resolve conflict in a manner where all sides are able to feel that they are heard and understood.

ATTORNEYS

As part of your South Bay Mediation Team, attorneys may be called upon to:

• Provide legal insights where questions may exist regarding legal standards pertaining to a particular issue being decided.
• Review and clarify details of your Marital Settlement Agreement
• Serve as Legal Advisor to one or the other parties involved during mediation

Jamie Roberts- Attorney

Having served as Court Appointed Mediator here in the South Bay, Jamie brings valuable experience and insight to her role as a Family Law Attorney. Wherever possible, Ms. Roberts is committed to seeking the best outcome for all involved without a destructive court battle. By the way, Jamie is a mother of two and understands the parental viewpoint. Keeping “Children First” is a key value at South Bay Mediation and Jamie exemplifies that viewpoint.

FAMILY / CHILD THERAPISTS

Karen Horwitz, M.A., M.F.T. – Marriage and Family Therapist

Karen Horwitz is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has a private practice in which she specializes in working with families going through divorce, co-parenting, and parent alienation. In addition, she has had specific training in child custody mediation and in negotiating parenting plans that are best for the children based on their developmental needs. She is also trained as a Collaborative Coach and Child Specialist for Collaborative Divorce cases.

Karen also established a niche working as a Parenting Shadow. A Parenting Shadow is a mental health professional who works in the home environment helping moms and dads to better parent their children where there have been issues in difficult divorce cases. This also overlaps with her work as a Therapeutic Monitor as well.

FINANCIAL PLANNERS / ADVISORS

A financial advisor can assist you in structuring your settlement to limit tax liabilities while maximizing your assets and income in a plan for the future. While you may already have a trusted advisor, we have highly qualified resources if you need one.

Kim Bright, CFP, CPA – Financial Planner

Kim Bright is a highly accomplished finance executive with over twenty years of business leadership experience and owner of Bright Financial Planning. Kim has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, CPA license, and Certificate in Personal Financial Planning from UCLA.

Kim is dedicated to developing lasting relationships with all her clients. She believes in helping you assess your financial goals and participate in the management of your finances. One of the benefits of working with Kim is her ability to provide clear, easily understood explanations of financial products and services. The personalized program that she can provide is a roadmap to working toward a more independent financial future.

Dawn Strachan, CDFA, CEA – Financial Advisor

Dawn Strachan is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), Certified Estate Advisor (CEA) and Financial Advisor. As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, Dawn is experienced in working with clients helping them identify and understand the financial issues of divorce. She is instrumental in assisting her clients in arriving at a settlement that is beneficial for all by empowering them with the financial information that is often overlooked in the divorce process. What appears to be an equitable settlement today, may not be fair tomorrow. Through software specifically designed to handle the financial aspects of divorce, Ms. Strachan generates sophisticated financial projections addressing the long-term effects of dividing property, integrating into her analysis tax issues, pension plan issues, earnings capabilities, spousal and child support options, liquidity concerns, inflation rates, rates of return on investments, and other financial issues related to separation agreements. The graphic reports generated by Ms. Strachan encourage dialogue between the divorcing parties and facilitates settlement, keeping everyone out of court, which dramatically reduces the cost of divorce.