Forrest “Woody” Mosten
The Leading Name in Family Mediation
woody@mostenmediationtraining.com
Woody offers 1:1 Private Practice Building Coaching
“Woody shared his vast experience, insights and resources in the generous-spirited way he has alway shared with the community of Peacemakers he has trained and mentored over the decades. So much helpful information! Thank you Woody! I wouldn’t be the Peacemaker I am without your influence.”
“Excellent and stimulating training. Woody brings decades of experience and creativity as a thought leader for all mediators.”
Forrest “Woody” Mosten: Champion for Peace and Access to Justice
Forrest S. Mosten has dedicated his career to promoting legal access and resolving disputes for underserved and diverse communities. Known globally as a peacemaker and innovator, Woody has mediated conflicts involving families, businesses, schools, community organizations, and more. He provides all professional services exclusively via Zoom, continuing to serve clients worldwide.
As co-founder of the Mosten Mediation Training Academy, Woody delivers online mediation training courses internationally.
Pioneering Achievements in Mediation Collaborative Practice and Legal Innovation
Woody is a recognized leader in mediation and Collaborative and is recognized worldwide as the “Father of Unbundled Legal Services.” His contributions include the creation of the first private legal clinic in the U.S., groundbreaking mediation trainings on Hopi Tribal Grounds, and significant work with organizations like the ACLU, United Farm Workers, and Oglala Sioux Nation.
He has authored eight books and numerous articles on mediation and dispute resolution. As Chair of the Mediate.com Task Force on Online Mediation Training, Woody co-authored its influential final report. In addition, he was Adjunct Professor at UCLA, and has taught at, Pepperdine, Hamline, University of Southern California and other law schools throughout the world.
Awards and Recognition
Woody has received numerous accolades, including:
- ABA Lawyer as Problem Solver Award
- ABA Lifetime Legal Access Award
- Lifetime Career Achievement Awards from APFM and NY Council on Divers
- SCMA Peacemaker of the Year and President’s Award
- APFM established the Forrest (Woody) Mosten Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Training Scholarship
- Pennsylvania State Bar established the Stu Webb/Forrest Mosten Peacemaker Award
Commitment to Community and Global Impact
Woody’s passion for education and collaboration has been demonstrated worldwide throughout his career. Woody keynoted Mediators Beyond Borders. He has been a plenary speaker and expert witness at global conferences, advancing the field of dispute resolution worldwide. He has also been active with the International Bar Association, serving as Chair of the Brown-Mosten International Consultation Competition.
For mediation and lawyering professional services, visit www.mostenmediation.com. For Woody’s training courses and groups, visit www.mostenmediationtraining.com.
Woody,
I’ve been meaning to send you an email for the last couple of months both to say thank you and to check in. My practice has never been this busy. I now have to make the decision to not accept any new clients because I’m so backed up with work. And all this is after I recently raised my rates!
None of this would have been possible without your guidance at the beginning of my career so I want you to know how much I appreciate it. Thank you for taking me under your wing and helping me develop not only a very successful practice but a fulfilling career!
Barry Davis
Attorney/Mediator“Life changing! Refreshing! Mr. Mosten, thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your gift, talents knowledge and craft with me. 3 days and 18-hours that inspired and motivated me. I am honored to have trained with the master. I cherish your personally autographed book. There’s not a better example of a peacemaker on Earth. Beyond honored!”
Donna Nazir
Real Estate Agent“I came to see Woody in London in the late nineties with Resolution First for Family Law. Helen Garlick and co. I was a new starry-eyed trainee, a family law solicitor by background. I still have Woody’s notes from his presentation. I was entranced by Woody’s teaching and expertise I remember the thrill of his unbundling lecture (still rare here with our strict Solicitors Regulation Authority) but so needed, particularly now our wonderful legal aid system is in bits. I went on to mediate happily for twenty years and moved career (still client based and communication skills.)
I thank Woody for setting me afire and setting me on my way to a fulfilling mediation career!”
Nina Fedorski
Family Law Solicitor & Mediator“Woody’s training helped me get started in family law mediation. It was invaluable.”
Marvin Whistler
Family MediatorWoody’s Books
This book provides a roadmap for those who have been trained in collaborative practice and want a resource to help build a sustainable flow of collaborative cases and of out-of-court settlement work … This book provides a wide resource of those steps; steps that can be applied not only by lawyers but by all professionals who work in the Collaborative model. – Nancy Cameron
Unbundled Legal Services: A Family Lawyer’s Guide by Forrest S. Mosten and Elizabeth Potter Scully is a must have” handbook for any lawyer who is considering offering limited scope representation. Practical, thorough and filled with examples, it is an essential guide to one of the fastest growing areas of family law practice. – M. Sue Talia
Mosten and Scully have written the Unbundling Bible.orce. – Dr. Julie Macfarlane
What a gem! A guidebook and much more, this well-written book provides tools and a framework for family lawyers desiring to limit their practices to out-of-court conflict resolution. New and experienced family lawyers will find in this book a roadmap to make the paradigm shift to being true peacemakers. Not only does it provide useful practice tips and guidelines, it helps lawyers identify a path for building value-based practices. As a mental health collaborative coach who has championed the concept of a good divorce for over 25 years, I welcome these new peacemakers who have the potential to transform the process of divorce. – Constance R. Ahrons, Ph.D.
This book is a comprehensive guide for lawyers who want to offer unbundled legal services. Doing this is trickier than it sounds and it entails some ethical and malpractice pitfalls, described in chapter 12. So anyone providing these services would be well-advised to get this book. – John Lande
You probably know – or at least know of – Forrest (Woody) Mosten. He is the award-winning mediator, lawyer, and peacemaker who is called the “father of unbundling,” referring to the process of offering legal clients discrete services as distinct from a complete bundled representation, as lawyers traditionally provide. He also is a prominent collaborative lawyer.
Woody is a good friend and we co-authored several articles about collaborative practice. He is simultaneously extremely idealistic and extremely pragmatic as is obvious when reading his books and other publications.
You may not know Adam B. Cordover, a relatively new collaborative lawyer in Tampa, Florida. Together, Woody and Adam edited a new book published by the ABA Family Law Section, Building a Successful Collaborative Family Law Practice, which will be released soon. This follows Woody’s 2009 book, Collaborative Divorce Handbook: Helping Families Without Going to Court. – John Lande