Biography

Robert Thaler is the visiting assistant clinical professor and attorney-in-charge of the Hofstra University School of Law's Mediation Clinic. Mr. Thaler is the former director of mediation services for Community Mediation Services, Inc. (CMS), located in Jamaica, Queens, NY. In his role as the director of mediation services for CMS, Mr. Thaler had overall responsibility for the Community Dispute Resolution Center Program for Queens County and the New York City Family Court Mediation Program.

During his tenure with CMS, Mr. Thaler engaged in all facets of mediation program administration, including program design, mediator training, quality assurance, and programmatic outreach and development. Additionally, Mr. Thaler chaired the NYC Family Court Juvenile Justice Committee's Juvenile Delinquency Mediation Working Group, and was a member of the NYC Family Court ADR-DV Subcommittee, which works to bridge the gaps between the mediation community and the domestic violence advocacy community. As a member of the Mediation Ethics Committee for the NYS Unified Court System's ADR Office, Mr. Thaler collaborated in creating the Standards of Ethics for Mediators in the NYS Community Dispute Resolution Center Program, and participated in creating uniform program materials for mediation centers across New York state.

Prior to his involvement in mediation, Mr. Thaler maintained a private law practice in Manhattan representing clients in criminal and civil matters, and was an assistant district attorney for Kings County and the special narcotics prosecutor for the City of New York from 1989 to 1993. In 2001, Mr. Thaler earned a Master of Arts degree in social-organizational psychology from Columbia University, Teachers College, together with a certificate in conflict resolution studies, where he focused his studies on conflict management systems design and organizational development.