Mark B. Baer

Experience

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  California Department of Corporations

  Jan 1988 - Jan 1989

  Intern
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  Judge William Lasarow, Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Central District of California

  Jan 1989 - Jan 1990

  Law Clerk
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  Buxbaum & Chakmak, A Law Corporation

  Jan 1990 - Jan 1991

  Associate
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  McKinley & Capeloto

  Jan 1991 - Jan 1992

  Associate
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  Frye & Alberts

  Jan 1992 - Jan 1993

  Associate
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  Mark B. Baer, Inc., APLC

  Sept 1993 - now

  Mediator, Conflict Resolution Consultant, and Educator on Implicit Bias

  My approach and published work is psychologically-minded, emotionally intelligent and based in neuroscience. My writings on bias, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence have been widely cited and my Psychology Today blog is titled Empathy and Relationships: Fostering genuine open-mindedness.My article The Power of Empathy, originally published in Huffington Post, was republished as the cover article in the Winter 2015 edition of DR Currents, a publication of the Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Georgia. It was also referenced in “Empathy Conversations – Testing their effectiveness as a policy-making instrument – A Pilot Study” by Dr. Lynne Reeder, Director of Australia21, an independent nonprofit think tank that promotes fair, sustainable and inclusive public policy through evidence-based research, and tackles real-world social issues and environmental problems that defy simple solutions.In 2020, my article The Amplification of Bias in Family Law and Its Impact was published in the Bias Edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. That article has been cited as the first authority on judicial bias and parenting choices in a Dissenting Opinion by the Kansas Supreme Court and in several law review articles, including one titled Refining Our Thinking About Thinking: Battling the Sway of Cognitive Biases in Negotiation. and in an academic article pending publication, as follows: “Mark Baer (2020) has persuasively argued that the skills of EI are essential for reducing bias and that the narrow range of skills emphasized in law school does not include EI.” My article on bias will be the lead article in the upcoming Bias Edition of Family Advocate Magazine, a publication of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association.My article The Connection Between Empathy Toward Others and Ethics was cited in a 2021 article titled A Comprehensive Insight on Empathy, pertaining to self-psychology, ethics and morality. Show less

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  Book Author

  Jul 2013 - Jul 2013

  Strategies for Family Law in California, 2013 ed."

  A few months ago, I collaborated with seven other family law attorneys and mediators in authoring the book titled "Strategies for Family Law in California, 2013 ed.: Leading Lawyers on Understanding Developments in California Family Law (Inside the Minds).""Strategies for Family Law in California provides an authoritative, insider's perspective on navigating the nuances of California family law. Featuring partners and chairs from leading law firms in the state of California, this book discusses trends in child custody, child support, and spousal maintenance. These top lawyers examine new developments such as genetic testing and same-sex marriage and analyze how these issues are likely to affect family law cases. Additionally, these leaders discuss different approaches to marriage dissolution, such as mediation and collaborative divorce, and in which situations each approach is most likely to work. The different niches represented and the breadth of perspectives presented enable readers to get inside some of the great legal minds of today, as these experienced lawyers offer up their thoughts on the keys to success within this ever-changing field.Inside the Minds provides readers with proven business and legal intelligence from leading C-Level executives and lawyers. Each chapter offers thought leadership and expert analysis on an industry, profession, or topic, providing a future-oriented perspective and proven strategies for success. Each author has been selected based on their experience and C-Level standing within the business and legal communities.I authored Chapter One, which is titled "A Comparison of Dispute Resolution Methods Available in Family Law Matters" Show less

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  Family Dynamics Assistance Center

  Nov 2013 - Jan 2019

  President

  Family Dynamics Assistance Center (“FDAC”) is an organization created to assist families in crisis to resolve their problems in a constructive manner through the assistance of experienced, well-recognized professionals who understand the nature of human conflict. We are dedicated to help families overcome conflict & improve family dynamics. We are the only resource of its kind.

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  Book Author

  Feb 2016 - now

  "Putting Kids First in Divorce"

  A few months ago, I collaborated with ten other divorce professionals in authoring the book titled "Putting Kids First in Divorce: How to Reduce Conflict, Preserve Relationships and Protect Children During and After Divorce." In this child-centered guide for parents who are considering divorce or separation, I co-authored the opening chapters: "Choosing Cooperation Over Combat" and "Stay Out of Court! Choose Mediation or Collaborative Divorce Over Litigation." "Putting Kids First in Divorce" is comprised of ten, value-packed chapters featuring content and interviews with high-integrity divorce professionals unified by a common theme: putting the needs of children first through cooperative processes. As stated in the book, "Going through a divorce is never easy. Tension can be high, and too often, the adversarial family court system only escalates the conflict. Sadly, children can become collateral damage."In the first chapter of the book, "Choose Cooperation Over Combat," we walk parents through concepts frequently used in the more constructive processes of mediation and collaborative law. We describe how to start with the end goal in mind to help to reduce conflict and maintain focus of the bigger picture, how to view divorce from a child's perspective, identify what harms children and how to protect them from harm, and explain how ongoing conflict can cause more harm to children than the divorce itself.Likewise in Chapter Two, "Stay Out of Court! Choose Mediation or Collaborative Divorce Over Litigation," we arm parents with a solid understanding of why cooperative methods to divorce such as mediation or collaborative law are typically superior to litigation; we explain that Family Court is inherently adversarial and how attorneys can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. Show less

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  Mark B. Baer, Inc.

  Mar 2017 - now

  Editor

  I edited the Vermont Edition of “Divorce and Separation: A Guide to Making Smart Decisions” for California. I very carefully read the book with a keen eye for detail before and after each of the editorial changes were made. I made many hundreds of editorial changes to punctuation, spelling and grammar, along with a number of more substantive edits. During the editorial process, Michael Lang, the co-author who had asked me to collaborate on the California Edition, advised me that another co-author had commented to him “on [my] brilliant and meticulous copyediting—the best he’s ever encountered.” Lang gave me the following testimonial after the book was completed: “Mark’s writing for the book was judicious, precise and readable. His meticulous approach and keen eye resulted in a final product—to be published in March, 2019—that is a credit to our collaboration and most importantly to Mark’s enthusiasm and dedication.” My notes about punctuation, grammar and style served as a final guide for Lang’s editing of the Vermont edition upon which the California Edition was based. The co-authors were so impressed with my copyediting that they advised me that the California Edition would be the starting point for all future Editions of the book. Show less