Who We Are

FRANCES B. HAYWARD, J.D. brings a unique mix of expertise, experience and skill to the mediation table. A licensed attorney, she has been a full time divorce mediator since 1995. She has been selected as a trainer for other mediators on numerous occasions and has received the coveted Advanced Practitioner Member certification annually since 1999. This certification is awarded by the Association for Conflict Resolution, the leading national professional association for mediators, only to those mediators who have significant mediation experience and have met the association's rigorous continuing education requirements.   
 
Before becoming a full time mediator Ms. Hayward practiced both family and business law for many years. She has also served as an arbitrator in commercial disputes for the American Arbitration Association and is now a panel arbitrator for the National Futures Association. Her extensive background allows her to understand and work effectively with difficult personal and complex financial issues in both moderate and high asset situations. Her long experience has contributed to her belief that skillful mediation can resolve even the most challenging issues in a cost effective, private and secure environment that protects the interests of both parties.
 
Since 1995 Ms. Hayward has served as the mediator in well over one hundred divorce mediations involving a wide variety of personal, parenting and financial issues. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the University of California School of Law at Davis. She has been a member of the California Bar since 1977.