Featured Mediators at Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center

Walking down Warrenton’s Main Street with Bill Barr is tantamount to accompanying a celebrity. The community activist and icon is continually stopped by passersby interested in a few moments of his time to chat about family, church, community or simply to garner a few words of his sturdy wisdom. Bill always delivers.

People are drawn to his gentle spirit and listening heart. At 83, Bill has never lost his childhood wonder over life and his genuine delight in learning something new everyday is infectious. “Life is full of serendipitous moments waiting to be experienced,” he says.

Bill has been an active PDRC volunteer since 2002 when he was asked to star in a mediation video which has since been distributed throughout the Commonwealth and nation (this year it will be re-released in DVD format and with a Spanish translation). Soon after, he enrolled in the Center’s basic mediation training, became certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia and began volunteering as a community mediator in Fauquier General District Court, primarily mediating landlord-tenant and consumer-merchant cases.

Bill is also completing his family mediation certification, working with parents who are separated and need to make decisions about child custody, visitation and support. In addition, he is a stalwart in the Center’s Restorative Justice Program which serves victims of crimes and the offenders as well as neighborhood disputes.

“I’m a peacemaker and it pleases me to spread the principles of restorative justice in our community, especially to minority groups,” says Bill. “You can’t get away from your neighbor or community; you will always see those whom you harmed. That’s why restorative justice is so important.”

Prior to retirement, Bill worked 22 years for the District of Columbia government, primarily in human service programs. He attended public schools in Pittsburgh, PA, earned his B.A. from Howard University and his MSW from Catholic University. He was married to first wife, Pauline, for 40 years and nine months, prior to her passing and they have two daughters, Pamela and Bonnie. When Bill married his second wife, Pat Balasco-Barr, 14 years ago, he added her four children, six grandchildren and one greatgrandchild to his family. He has been a resident of Midland since 1968.

Our Mediators

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court; Mentor

Career Background: Licensed Virginia attorney; Guardian ad litem; Practice concentrated in public agencies.

Educational Background: B.A., University of Virginia; Master of Science in Conflict Analysis & Resolution, George Mason University; Juris Doctor, George Mason University School of Law.

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court; Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court; Mentor

Career Background: Retired from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission where she was responsible for Counseling and Mediation as well as technical advice and assistance to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) counselors in nine field offices. Retired Federal mediator.

Mediation Training: Harvard Law School; Bowie State University; National Employment Institute (Georgetown Law Center); Center for Dispute Settlement, Washington, D.C.; Rappahannock Mediation Center, Fredericksburg, VA; Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center; Supreme Court of Virginia.

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court certification pending.

Career Background: Certified teacher in Ohio, New York and Virginia for over 30 years.

Educational Background: B.S., University of Cincinnati; Master of Education, Xavier University

Mediation Training: Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center, Community Mediation Center in Harrisonburg, VA

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications:General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, Circuit Court/ Family, Circuit Court/Civil, Child Dependency, Mentor

Career Background: Staff mediator for PDRC (since 1998); formerly counselor, Bureau of Child Welfare, New York City Department of Social Services; Systems Programmer and Analyst, International Business Machines, Corp.

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications:General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, Circuit Court/Family, Circuit Court/Civil, Mentor.

Career Background: Licensed, practicing Virginia attorney; adjunct professor of law at George Mason University School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center; current officer of the Virginia Alternative Dispute Resolution Joint Committee of the Virginia Bar Association and Virginia State Bar; current member of the Supreme Court of Virginia Dispute Resolution Advisory Council.

Educational Background: B.A., Princeton University; Juris Doctor, University of North Carolina.

Mediation Training: Northern Virginia Mediation Service, Fairfax, VA; Supreme Court of Virginia.

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications:General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court.

Educational Background: Attended University of Maryland School of Business Administration

Mediation Training: Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center; Community Mediation Center, Harrisonburg, VA

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Lawrie S. Parker

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, Circuit Court/Family, Circuit Court/Civil, Mentor, Basic Mediation Trainer, Ethics Trainer, Mentor.

Career Background: Founder and Executive Director of PDRC (since 1990); current member of the Supreme Court of Virginia Dispute Resolution Advisory Council, including Mediator Complaint Panel and Ethics Committee; a founder and Board member of the Restorative Justice Association of Virginia.

Educational Background: B.A.,University of Michigan; Master of Business Administration, University of Mary Washington.

Mediation Training: Community Mediation Center, Harrisonburg, VA; Rappahannock Mediation Center, Fredericksburg, VA; Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center; Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, VA; Supreme Court of Virginia

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, Circuit Court/Family.

Career Background: Licensed, practicing attorney in Leesburg, VA with Sevila, Saunders, Huddleston & White.

Educational Background: B.S., Virginia Tech; Juris Doctor, T.C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond.

Educational Background: B.A., Manhattan College, New York; Juris Doctor, Fordham University School of Law.

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court.

Career Background: Retired legal secretary (41 years); elected and served three terms as elected township official for Westampton, NJ; elected and served 4.5 years on school board for Eastampton, NJ.

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court

Career Background: Currently, Public Relations Specialist, Fauquier Health System; Formerly, adjunct professor of communications, Northern Virginia Community College, Lord Fairfax Community College, George Mason University; Director of Public Affairs, Loudoun Museum.

Educational Background: B.A., West Virginia University; Master of Arts, Duquesne University.

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court.

Career Background: Formerly: Tax attorney for U.S. Internal Revenue Service; Worked for Bureau of National Affairs; Merit System Protection Board; National Institute of Health; National Labor Relations Board.

Educational Background: B.A., American University; Master of Arts, American University; Juris Doctor, University of Baltimore.

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court.

Mediation Training: Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center; Community Mediation Center, Harrisonburg, VA.

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court; Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court; Circuit Court/Civil; Mentor.

Career Background: Currently administrator and staff mediator for PDRC (since 1998); formerly economist for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Mediation Training: Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center; Northern Virginia Mediation Service, Fairfax, VA; Community Mediation Center, Harrisonburg, VA; Supreme Court of Virginia.

Virginia Supreme Court Mediation Certifications: General District Court; Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court; Circuit Court/Family; Circuit Court/Civil; Mentor.

Career Background: Licensed, practicing attorney in Fairfax, VA, private practice specializing in transactional law.

Educational Background: B.S., the George Washington University; Juris Doctor, George Mason University School of Law.

Mediation Training: Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center; Community Mediation Center, Harrisonburg, VA; Supreme Court of Virginia.

Featured Mediator

Mr. Bill Barr

Our Mediators

Lawrie S. Parker