Lawyer Turned Peacemaker

After a successful 22 year trial career, Doug decided that litigation was a wasteful way to resolve conflicts. So, he went back to school to be trained by the Mennonites and earned his Masters Degree in Peacemaking and Conflict Studies. Since then, he has dedicated his life to mediation and peacemaking. Today, Doug is a nationally recognized mediator, trainer, and speaker. He has hosted a weekly radio show, The Doug Noll Show, dedicated to giving a voice to international peacemakers for over five years.

Professionally, Doug is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators, a Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators and on the American Arbitration Association panel of mediators and arbitrators. Doug was one of the first U.S. mediators certified under the international mediator standards established by the International Mediation Institute based in The Hague, Netherlands.

In his teaching capacity, Doug is a sought after mediator trainer, lecturer, speaker, and continuing education teacher. Doug is part of the core faculty of the American Institute of Mediation and an adjunct professor of law at San Joaquin College of Law where he teaches Peacemaking for Lawyers and Restorative Justice. Doug has taught advanced mediation courses in Florida, Tennessee, Minnesota, Texas, California, New York, and Maryland. He has taught his advanced peacemaking curriculum at the corporate level overseas in Amsterdam and Dubai. In addition to Elusive Peace, he is the author of Sex, Politics & Religion at the Office: The New Competitive Advantage (Auberry Press 2006), with John Boogaert, and Peacemaking: Practicing at the Intersection of Law and Human Conflict (Cascadia Publishing House 2002), and numerous chapters and articles on peacemaking, restorative justice, conflict resolution and mediation. Doug has been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America by U.S. News & World Report and is a Northern California Super Lawyer in Alternative Dispute Resolution. He has mediated over 1,500 conflicts, including business disputes, clergy sexual abuse cases, victim-offender criminal cases, and large litigated cases. His particular interest is in deep, intractable conflicts where emotions are running high.

As he became interested in international mediation efforts he observed that international mediators, for the most part, were inexperienced in the science and art of mediation. Their rookie mistakes were making things worse, often leading to genocide or further war. Unfortunately, political leaders, diplomats, special envoys, and retired generals are often appointed to a job for which they are not trained nor have sufficient aptitude. Elusive Peace shows why we can no longer afford to allow political, diplomatic, and military leaders mediate peace accords. They simply don’t know what they are doing.

Doug’s life experiences ground and inform his peacemaking practice. He is a second degree black belt in Chinese kung fu and taught tai chi for over 10 years. His deep spiritual practice includes training as an energy healer. He has a variety of other interests and accomplishments including certification as a Level III ski instructor, instrument-rated private pilot with multi-engine and helicopter ratings, Irish fiddle and harp player, whitewater kayaker and rafter, and Spey casting steelhead fly fisherman.