Mediation, Therapy and Coaching Services

The mediation was so simple. Both my husband and I were divorced before and they were both messy. We were done in 8 hours and only had 1 court date. It was emotional, but mediating was much better than going to court. We can both attest to that.

Jennifer - 10/19/2007

I was divorced once before and it cost me $35,000 with no fighting. I found that mediation did the same thing for me and my new ex as 2 attorney and $35,000 did the first time. It was nice that Brian was there for phone calls and e-mails "off the clo ... Read More

Matthew - 1/8/2008

Brian is passionate about helping people through the incredibly difficult process of divorce. He helped me through this highly volatile and emotional process with thoughtfulness, fairness and patience. I view my divorce process as having been "succes ... Read More

Cindy - 11/6/2008

Before mediation, I thought we didn't need it and we could resolve everything by ourselves. After the first meeting, I realized there was far too much bitterness and animosity. Like it or not, we needed a fair and unbiased third party.

Adam - 7/26/2007

In the short time that I've known Brian, he has been of great help to me. Brian is very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Brian is a great person to work with. If you are in need of mediation or know someone who does, he is definitely someone you ... Read More

Jenny Evers - Country Insurance & Financial Srvcs.

Brian made what could be a very difficult thing go way smoother and easier than I thought it could ever be.

Bill - 10/22/2010

Brian was very comprehensive and non-judgemental. He maintained his integrity in difficult situations, is compassionate and stayed on task.

Brenda - 8/6/2007

Brad and I thought the divorce would be horrible for us and the kids. To our surprise, we kind of knew what we were doing. Brian was there to help us with what we didn't know and was always available for phone calls and e-mails. We started mediation ... Read More

Helen and Brad - 12/2/2007

“Brian and I both were in the divorce industry. Brian as a mediator and I as a financial analyst. I often get calls from clients looking for a mediator and I have Brian at the top of my list. I like recommending Brian to my clients because he believe ... Read More

Cathy Belmonte Newman - C.D.F.A. - 5/21/2008

I have been divorced for 5 years. My ex and I have always had small battle about the kids. Recently, it got bad. Our divorce agreement said we must mediate and my attorney referred me to Brian. In 4 hours, we made more positive progress than we had i ... Read More

Bill - 8/4/2008

Brian is truly an outstanding individual and professional to work with. Brian has helped a handful of my clients that have been faced with unfortunate cricumstances. Brian brings passion to conflict resolution that is well above the line for his indu ... Read More

Karth Barr - Mortgage Broker - 9/10/2008

Brian has taken some very difficult situations in mediation and turned them into positive results. He does an excellent job, and I will continue to use his serves and recommend him as well

Marjorie Sher - Divorce Attorney - 2/1/2010

Brian's mediation during my divorce made the process very managable. He worked with us sorting through the details, and provided us advise so we could reach comprehensive solutions. I am very happy with his service and I recommend it.

Natalia - 1/20/2009

My ex-husband and I hired Brian James to assist us in mediating our divorce. Brian was informative, open, helpful and timely in getting information and documents to us. The few times that issues between us arose, Brian was there to help but stood qui ... Read More

Stacey - 9/10/2008

My husband wanted the divorce and I refused to give it to him out of spite. After working with Brian, I realized what might happen to my kids and our finances if my husband i I both retained lawyers and went through the court. With his and my therapi ... Read More

Beth - 1/12/2008

Brian is a consummate professional. He handled my recent divorce with the utmost compassion and creative thinking.

Dan - 7/13/2009

In these uncertain economic times, Brian has the ability to create workable solutions for divorcing couples. Brian thinks outside the box, developing creative ways around problems and setting his clients on the path to less contentious divorces. Bria ... Read More

Patti Levinson - Divorce Attorney - 4/14/2009

Only 2 months passed from the day we decided to divorce to our day in court thanks to the help and guidance we found with Brian and Ellen.

Laura - 7/2/2012

Where was mediation when I got divorced. I recall spending a lot of money. When my ex-husband and I started to argue about child support, I almost gave in to what he wanted knowing that i couldnt afford the cost of court and that he could. I read abo ... Read More

Delia - 1/5/2007

Going through the divorce process with C.E.L. & Associates is much less traumatic than going the traditional route. Brian and Ellen are professional, knowledgeable, and keep the negotiations fair. Both of us felt safe and able to think clearly to com ... Read More

Peggy - 1/10/2012

Brian guided us step by step and always reminded us of our son's best interests.

Karen, Ron and Max - 10/25/2010

Brian is very skilled divorce mediator. He has the ability to assist divorcing couples to come up with the best possible solutions for themselves regarding their divorce, thus reducing emotional distress and saving money.

Patricia Anderson - Therapist - 5/20/2008

My wife and I have 4 kids and have a decent amount of money. We were arguing about how we were going to divide things up. After meeting with Brian and going over what we had, he gave us many different options of ways to divide our money. Many of whic ... Read More

Barry - 11/9/2007

I would recommend Brian for anyone with kids. He helps us with what to say to our children about the divorce and our moving apart. He even took the time to role play with us and pose questions that our kids might ask. I was most impressed that he cal ... Read More

Ellie - 4/12/2009

Brian provided expert mediation while maintaining neutral ground for a very difficult situation, divorce. His past experience provided him the ability to diffuse tense situations and manage a workable outcome. Brian also provided expert advice on how ... Read More

Alan - 1/24/2010

My husband and I went to mediation because we heard it would tell us how to raise our 2 boys. Thankfully, Brian never told us how to do it. He was very blunt when he told us that he would never tell us how to parent our kids, that he knew nothing abo ... Read More

Melanie - 6/3/2008

The best thing about the mediation as the flexibility of the mediator. We met during my lunch hour twice and, when that didn't work, he agreed to meet with us at night so we didn't have to miss work. This helps a lot since we did mediation due to the ... Read More

Morgan - 3/25/2009

I would recommend CEL to everyone going through a divorce. It was less combative than going with attorneys, the cost was okay and the mediator was able to diffuse situations that could have caused a lot of problems.

Arnie - 1/5/2009

Brian does a great job guiding spouses through divorce with minimal conflict, and helping them to achieve an amicable and fair resolution

Kristina Wayne - Divorce Attorney - 2/2/2010

We had a lot of issues trying to work things out on our own. Once we sat down with Brian and started talking to him, we both knew that this was a good idea. He kept reminding us to think about our kids and helped us keep focused. I think he saved us ... Read More

Stephanie - 7/26/2008

"I refer any and all clients interested in mediation to Ellen and her team. She has an uncanny ability to earn the trust of both parties who work with her and she helps them resolve conflicts which seem impossible to resolve without litigation. Ellen ... Read More

Beth McCormack - Divorce Attorney - 10/21/2011

Brian was a pleasure to deal with in such an already difficult position. Thank you much for your time and effort.

Marty - 5/19/2009

No divorce is without pain but Brian made the process much less painful than a traditional divorce. If you are at the point where divorce will be a reality then Brian's service is the only one to consider.

David - 7/22/2008

My ex-wife and I have been divorced for 9 years. Our son is 12 years old and recently told us that he didn't want to live with me anymore. Initially, I told him he had to and contacted my attorney to make sure I could force my son to stay with me. He ... Read More

Jeffrey - 6/11/2007

Brian James has been an invaluable partner for me to refer my mortgage clients to. When divorcing couples are in mutual agreement to divide the equity in their homes and go on their separate ways, a Divorce Mediator is the perfect solution for both s ... Read More

Debra Sineni - Benchmark Mortgage Corp. - 7/2/2007

At our initial meeting, it became clear this would be tough when my future ex walked out of the meeting. Brian figured it out, stayed the course and we both made it through - relatively amicably.

Vicki - 12/20/2007

This is my 2nd divorce and it was nothing compared to my first,and I say that in a good way. My mediation with Brian and Ellen was done in 4 sessions and only took a few months. My 1st divorce took over a year and I am still having problems with that ... Read More

Joe - 7/23/2009

I'm very pleased with my divorce mediation experience with Brian James. He provided us with just the type and amount of guidance needed to navigate through an otherwise painful process with efficiency and consideration.

Rebecca - 2/16/2012

Brian is an excellent mediator and very committed to helping families and couples reach agreements. Brian is helpful and knowledgeable and is a key resource in the area of Domestic Relations.

Diana Lopez - Divorce Attorney

Brian has been able to work magic when getting divorcing couples to resolve difficult situations. He has the skills and experience necessary to achieve results, even for the most challenging scenarios.

David Kerpel - Divorce Attorney - 2/1/2010

All I want to say is "money saving". We met with Mr. James 3 times and worked out our entire divorce. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought it would be that easy. Mr. James put things in perspective and kept us from arguing. He seemed to re ... Read More

Heidi - 3/15/2007

This was my and my husbands 2nd mediator. We went to one through the courts in Chicago and it didn't go well. The mediator kept making "suggestions" as to what we should agree on. I liked the fact that Brian never told us what we should do, he listen ... Read More

Sue - 3/15/2009