Cheryll Diane Russell

We have had to use Cheryl a few times and the reviews are very accurate, she pushes her agenda on you. Mediation is not arbitration but she claims that if you don’t agree she will then arbitrate. Do not go in without any attorney! She will side with one person, that’s normally the one she talks to f...irst. Not a clue how she has not been disbarred for her antics. I plan on filing a complaint with the bar association.

Cheryll forms opinions about people very quickly and fails to use any data to change her opinion. If you meet her after your ex-partner, she's likely coming in with her mind made up that the one-sided facts are true and will not even listen to your own thoughts. My lawyer and I came in prepared with ...data but she failed to even look at it despite it being offered. She made up her mind. As an aside, she's also just very horrible to talk to. She constantly interrupts people, and is very disrespectful when addressing you. What was also annoying was the time she wasted self-congratulating herself. She would talk about judges she knows, and how she passed the CA bar, etc. These things do not matter to me or my situation but only waste time (I think at least $100 of my money went to me hearing about how great she thinks she is). She also fails to understand the working world. I worked at a high tech company for 10 years and she couldn't believe I quit my job for a better longer term opportunity worth much more than my previous employer. What she fails to understand is that a career at a high-tech company is usually 3 years and 10 can be career suicide. She just couldn't understand this, but then again, she's doesn't seem grounded on the realities of the world which I think is something one would want in someone possibly making decisions that can impact you. Lastly, she failed after 2 1/2 days sessions to even get one thing agreed up between my ex-wife and I. Nothing. Zero movement. Her solution... Let's do another full day. Her comment felt like an IQ test for a 4 year old. I decided to not move forward.

We did our best to make this settlement as fair to each of us and our children as possible. We had some pre-conceived ideas. Cheryll helped us, through our lawyers, modify those ideas to conform to the law and form a solid structure for our new lives apart but still as parents. We paid this person... to give us her opinions and guidance as well as help us understand what we could hope to achieve (or not achieve) in trial. We spent 10 hours with her and the lawyers. My lawyer and I were in one room and my ex-wife and her lawyer were in another room. Is Cheryll opinionated? Yes. But that's what we expected from a judicial officer or mediator. The people who object to her being biased are missing the point. You should want someone with an opinion. How elese are you going to get a handle on reality?

This person was recommended because of her location- her office was in the same building as my attorney. It was an easy elevator ride to her office for the all-day mediation appointment. I was reluctant to go with her from the beginning because I knew nothing about this person and did not get a ch...ance to interview her. This was critical because this person was going to hold way too much power in her hands~ basically holding the future of my life in her hands. I found her phony and cold from the very beginning- rather defensive. I found her to be distracted, flipant and unprofessional. She did not remember key elements or timeline of the case or did not prepare for the day long mediation , but was given the 3"+ binder to review full of two years of divorce documents which included history of theft, abuse and a no contact order. Unbelievably, she almost immediately started showing signs of favoritism. It must be that my ex had snowed her with his male charm?!?! I was crying and upset through the second half of the mediation- in utter shock that this nightmare could be happening. I could not BELIEVE that a mediator would fall for something like this or that she would show such obvious bias. I was horrified actually, as I felt violated and powerless even further. This was not a good experience and needless to say, I do not recommend this attorney/mediator. It has taken me 4 years to get past it and even want to write about it.