Kimberly Potter Fauss

Kimberly was thoroughly professional and she deserves much credit for "keeping the boat steady" in some turbulent waters. Her extensive experience with collaboration and her skill at keeping our discussion centered on our children and the best long-term interests of all parties was especially apprec...iated. She was "no-nonsense" when necessary, but also represented me with the right mix of compassion and careful attention to detail.

Kimberly brought little to the table other than a "process". We literally read through a document at our first meeting that we all had well in advance to understand the mediation process which was a waste of all of the participants time and money. She was not very helpful in offering suggestions/dire...ction and was slow to respond to my questions, frequently calling me late on a Friday afternoon while on her way out of town with uninformed answers. I negotiated the terms of the divorce directly with the ex and felt like I paid Kim to be nothing more than a glorified cheerleader.

Kimberly was extremely professional, knowledgable and frankly very empathetic to my situation. I had a very complex divorce involving intricate financials, custody of my children and protecting my future. I researched dozens lawyers, interview 8 of them and picked Kim. She knows the collaborative f...amily law process better than anyone. While getting divorced is extremely unpleasant, having Kim guide me through this was a Godsend. I've heard from friends their attorney's "disappear" for long stretches of time - not so with Kim. She was on top of all the details and was enormously responsive to me. When tensions ran high, Kim was able to diffuse that in a really productive way without giving up what was important to me. In the end, I ended up protecting the things that mattered most to me.

I hired this lawyer to mentor me through mediation. Kimberly Fauss has provided training and coaching to me in her capacity as mediation trainer and teacher over the last two years. I give the highest recommendation for both her mediation practice and training skills. As a Virginia Supreme Court Cert...ified Mediator, I have found Mrs. Fauss to be an inspiring role model and mentor. Whether with clients or students, Mrs. Fauss employs compassion, empathy, and a positive perspective about problem solving and the learning process. Through her ability to listen, calm, and refocus a conversation, Mrs. Fauss demonstrates a genuine desire to help others help themselves. I have been with Mrs. Fauss in several complex divorce settlements. I am impressed by her intelligence, professionalism, and leadership in helping clients identify, organize and understand their issues. Mrs. Fauss is facile and energetic with all aspects of the mediation process from the intake interview, through the negotiation process, and finalizing the written agreement. Mrs. Fauss in her numerous articles, teaching events and mediations is able to simplify and explain the neuroscience involved in negotiation skills by translating complex theory into language her students and clients can understand. Her comprehensive understanding and genuine connection with others makes her a top choice for mediation or collaborative family law.

Atrocious group facilitation skills, seemingly more interested in following predefined process/timeline and ramming numbers through a standard method than allowing us to fully understand our options, deal with inevitable emotional challenges, and come to our own understandings and solution. Terrible ...attention to detail, poor grammar, and lack of clarity in writing -- I haven't seen such poor writing since grading papers from beginning community college students. The amount of editing required was completely unacceptable for a "professional," particularly one whose living depends in large part on the written word. By the time I realized what had occurred and started learning about other options that were never discussed, it was clear that we had wasted thousands of dollars. Everything was re-started from scratch. Would I recommend this lawyer for mediation? The answer is pretty clear.