Michael Aurit can help any aspiring mediator reach their greatest potential. He is a nationally respected professional mediator, prominent mediation trainer, and inspiring thought leader in the field. As Director and Co-Founder of The Aurit Center for Divorce Mediation in Scottsdale, Arizona, he and his team have helped thousands of people resolve their divorce and child custody issues in a healthier way. Michael teaches mediation as an Adjunct Professor of Law at The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law and at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law. He was honored to serve as President of The Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM) from 2019 to 2021, where he led the family mediation field through the pandemic’s many challenges and opportunities and championed the embrace of online mediation for mediators everywhere. He currently serves as Ethics Chair of the Maricopa County Association of Family Mediators. 

He provides mediation training and private, personalized coaching as Director and Co-Founder of The National Mediation Training Institute, where they believe that it doesn’t have to take a lifetime to become a master mediator and they teach mediation core values, attitudes, techniques, and strategies from the inside out. Michael and Karen Aurit—his everything-partner—co-host, Inside the Mediation Room with Michael and Karen Aurit, a live monthly podcast in partnership with Mediate.com. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law and Master’s Degree in Dispute Resolution from The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. He sang his way through his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree from The Boston Conservatory of Music at Berklee College. Michael lives in Phoenix, Arizona with Karen and their daughters, Daniella and Eliana. 

Jim Melamed co-founded Mediate.com in 1996 and served as CEO of Mediate.com through June 2020 (25 years).  During Jim's tenure, Mediate.com received the American Bar Association's 2010 Institutional Problem Solver Award.  Before Mediate.com, Jim founded The Mediation Center in Eugene, Oregon in 1983 and served as Executive Director of the Academy of Family Mediators (AFM) from 1987 to 1993. Jim was also the first President and Executive Director of the Oregon Mediation Association (1985-86). Jim's undergraduate degree is in psychology from Stanford University and his law degree is from the University of Oregon.

Jim has received the following awards: The Oregon Mediation Association's 2003 Award for Excellence; The Oregon State Bar's 2006 Sidney Lezak Award of Excellence; The Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) 2007 John Haynes Distinguished Mediator Award; The 2012 Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM) "Getting To Yes" Award; The APFM's first Outstanding Mediator Award (2018); and the Oregon Mediation Association's 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Members of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM) provide mediation services to families facing decisions involving separation, divorce or marital dissolution, child custody, parenting, visitation, property division, wills and estates, elder care, spouse support or alimony, child support, family business, pre-nuptial agreements, and many other disputes, conflicts or issues involving the family.

The APFM can refer you to a mediator in your area and provide information about mediation training and dispute resolution employment opportunities.

Mediation offers people the opportunity to resolve their disputes with the help of a neutral person trained in mediation skills, domestic violence issues, financial issues, and other topics. The mediator is not a judge or an arbitrator who imposes a decision on people, but is trained to assist people in negotiating their own resolution to their problems or concerns.

Although mediators may come from a variety of professional backgrounds including: attorneys; psychologists; social workers; marriage or family counselors; clergy people; accountants and financial specialists, they received specialized training to become mediators.

The Academy of Professional Family Mediators provides a referral service of our Members who practice in the areas of family and divorce mediation and who have met strict training and experience requirements.