"I know you will
find Oran to be compassionate, knowledgeable, and
experienced. He is a wonderful mediator."

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About Oran Kaufman

I graduated from Washington University in 1985 and obtained my J.D. degree from Northeastern University School of Law in 1988. I clerked for the justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court from 1988-1989 and in 1989 began practicing as an attorney with Burres Fidnick and Booth. I became a partner at what then became Burres Fidnick Booth and Kaufman in 1996. In 2004, after 15 years of working with my law partners I decided to start a solo practice. Since 1989 my practice has concentrated in the area of domestic relations. This includes divorces, paternities, divorce modifications, work with non-traditional families, guardianships.

In 1994, I founded Amherst Mediation Services. My decision to offer mediation as an alternative to the traditional litigation system stemmed from my years of experience in the Probate and Family Court and in particular my concern that in many ways the court system was not the most efficient and best equipped system for handling family crisis such as divorce. Mediation offers participants more control over their own destiny and works to increase rather than discourage communication. Mediation is also far cheaper and often far quicker than traditional litigation. However, mediation is not appropriate in every situation. I continue to provide my clients with legal services. In my capacity as an attorney I provide services which are professional, courteous and sensitive to my clients' financial needs, emotional needs and family situation.

In my ongoing effort to provide my clients with the widest range possible of solutions that meets their needs, in 2004 began offering collaborative law as yet another alternative approach to resolving divorces and other domestic relations issues. In the collaborative law model, I represent my clients just as I would in the traditional litigation approach. The primary difference however is that both lawyers and both clients sign a contract that the matter will be handled without resorting to the courts to resolve disputes. If a client decides to utilize the courts during the divorce process, both attorneys must withdraw and both clients need to retain new attorneys. To read more about Collaborative Law, click here.

I have been actively involved in promoting and teaching mediation. I am former President of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation (MCFM) and am a certified mediator with MCFM (see www.mcfm.org) I am currently active with the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR). (www.acresoltion.org) and have achieved Advanced Practitioner level with ACR. In addition to my law and mediation practice I also co-founded ConflictWorks through which I conduct conflict resolution training workshops for organizations and businesses.

I have taught numerous continuing legal education seminars on topics involving family law and have been involved in many family law related committees. Since its creation, I have been secretary of Parents and Children in Transition, an approved parent education program in Northampton, MA and the pilot program for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I have been on a panel to create legislation for Parenting coordinators and assisted in setting up a conciliation program in the Hampshire County Probate and Family Court.

I have participated on numerous panels of continuing legal education seminars and have taught workshops at numerous conferences on topics in the area of family mediation and family law including the following:

Panelist:

"Family Law Motion Practice" - Massachusetts Continuing Education (MCLE) - 1995
"Settlement Options in Divorce"- (MCLE) - 1996
"Practical Skills Workshop: Divorce Demystified"- (MCLE) - 1996, 1997, 1999
"Updating Your Boilerplate"- Massachusetts Bar Association - 1996
"Mediation for Gay, Lesbian and Unmarried Couples"- Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation Workshop- 1996
"Drafting Separation Agreements: Can You be Neutral?"- Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation Conference Workshop- 1996
"Superglue or Velcro: How to Get Unstuck During Mediation"- Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation Conference Workshop- 1998
"On What Level are We Mediating?"- Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation Conference Workshop-2000
"The Joy of Conflict"- University of Massachusetts-1998
"Divorce Mediation Training" 30 hour course- The Mediation and Training Collaborative- 2004
"To be or not to be… Directive? Transformative?"- Association of Conflict Resolution Family Section Conference- Denver, CO Summer 2003
"Divorce Mediation Training" 30 hour course- The Mediation and Training Collaborative- May 2006.
"When Disputes Arise"- Alzheimer's Association Conference- May 2006