Brian James Biography

Divorce and Family Mediator in Chicago, IL

Brian James is an experienced Divorce and Family Mediator with offices throughout Chicagoland and Southeastern Wisconsin.

Chicago’s Divorce Mediator Brian James started his mediation practice, C.E.L. and Associates, Inc. in late 2005.

Brian James is the founder and lead mediator at C.E.L. & Associates. He earned his B.S. in Sociology from Northern Illinois University in 1994 and completed Mediation and Conflict Resolution training through Northwestern University. In the first ten years of his professional career, Brian worked in the criminal justice system, helping domestic violence and divorcing families resolve family conflicts. His approach to mediation is client driven. By aiding his clients with the resolution of their divorce issues outside of the courtroom, Brian helps create a win/win situation for all parties in a divorce. Brian has been happily married to his high school sweetheart since 1996, and they have two sons, Connor (forever 25) and Evan (22).

Brian earned his B.S. in Sociology from Northern Illinois University in 1994 and completed training in Mediation and Conflict Resolution through Northwestern University in 2005.

The first 10 years of his professional career, Brian worked in the Criminal Justice System helping domestic violence and divorcing families resolve family conflicts and structure parenting agreements. He assisted with the healing process that took place after these life-changing events had occurred. His approach to mediation is client-driven. By aiding his clients with the resolution of their divorce issues outside of the courtroom, Brian helps create a win/win situation for all parties in a divorce.

He is able to help people work through their problems, and at the same time, give them skills to use in future conflicts.

In divorce mediation, Brian helps people work through their conflicts while teaching them problem solving, empathy and self-determination, while at the same time, giving them the ability to make informed decisions for themselves.

When confronted with a conflict, if Brian’s clients refer to what they learned in mediation, he believes they will be much better off an be able to resolve their conflicts on their own.

Call our Chicago Divorce Mediators at C.E.L. & Associates, Inc. Today!
Brian James:
(312) 524-5829 Ellen Feldman:
(847) 507-3204

Chicago’s Divorce Mediator Brian James - Membership And Affiliations
Association for Conflict Resolution (National and Chicago Chapter)
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

Wisconsin Association of Mediators
Children’s Rights Council of Illinois
National Parents Leadership Counsel Network
Academy of Professional Family Mediators

Frequent speaker at Chicago area Domestic Violence Shelters
Featured regularly in many online articles and ezine

C.E.L. & Associates, Inc. is an Experienced group of Divorce Mediators & Parenting Coordinators in Chicago, Grayslake, Rolling Meadows, Wilmette, Kenosha, Crystal Lake, Naperville & Paddock Lake. Contact C.E.L. & Associates, Inc. for more details.

Contact Brian James - Divorce, Family Mediator in Chicago, IL

Though courthouses are slowly opening back up, and people are starting to attend court dates in person, successfully mediated cases will continue to be heard in court via Zoom in some counties. Imagine, one brief Zoom appearance and your divorce is finalized. Since March 2020, except for a handful of clients, we have conducted our mediation sessions exclusively via Zoom. Though we were skeptical at first, we have been pleasantly surprised with the following observations: our clients are more civil toward each other, they are completing mediation more efficiently, which lessens the overall cost and time it takes to get divorced, and their ability to co-parent their children remains intact, as they not “burning bridges” during the divorce. At C.E.L. & Associates, Inc., Zoom is here to stay.