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Affordable Mediation
Chicago & Statewide
In-Person & Online

More amicable and less stressful divorce
Financial and parenting solutions with an experienced mediator

My Personal Story 

David Louis shares his personal story—the journey that led to mediation.

Early experience of divorce​

“As a boy, I lived next door to a family whose parents divorced, leaving a trail of sadness for the mother and children.”
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“As a young man, I married and later divorced after my wife decided to end the marriage to pursue another relationship. At times, I can’t help but think back to the pain of my loss in that moment. After all, marriage is supposed to be a lifelong commitment.”

​A new marriage and a career in finance and community

“Luckily for me, I found love again in a marriage that is approaching its 35th year, with two grown children (and two grandchildren) who fill us with pride and joy.”

“My formal education was focused originally in accounting and public finance. My earlier careers involved managing financial operations in state government and public service in my community, where seeds of consensus building among colleagues and dispute resolution were planted.”

Embracing a new career as a divorce mediator

“In 2006, as I turned 50, I considered my future, or as I would like to say, my next chapter. My discovery of mediation was an enlightening experience—a chance to transform myself from a decision maker to a professional who would help others make their own decisions. And to participate in a future-focused dialogue.”
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“I have become a passionate ambassador for mediation as an appropriate process for meeting the human needs of families in transition. I believe that mediation empowers spouses who are ending their marriage to make the best possible decisions for their individual futures and for their children.”

​Critique of the flawed legal system

“As I have learned from my own life experiences and from the stories told by adult friends, co-workers and family members, divorce is one of life’s most challenging episodes, not well-served by interaction with the courts. The traditional court-based divorce litigation process is:

• consistently time-consuming.
• controlled by the system (judge and attorneys) and not by the spouses, whose futures are at stake.
• expensive and stressful.
• divisive, where attorneys may zealously advocate for their clients, driving spouses farther apart. 
• toxic—an insensitive invasion and dissection of a family that is already facing overwhelming challenges.

​“The courts are overloaded, offering limited resources and little incentive to end a marriage with dignity and civility. Mediation, on the other hand, offers a healthier option.”

​Satisfaction as a divorce mediator

“The more I mediate, the more convinced I become that mediation can be an important tool to help people who are facing divorce. My mission is to use my skills as a listener and communications expert to help both spouses move forward by encouraging them to engage in constructive discussion.”
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“I am grateful for the fulfillment this works brings to me and for the trust placed in me by the couples with whom I work. This is my way of making a difference in the world as a peacemaker, one conversation at a time.”

Contact David

David Louis

Clients appreciate David Louis’ services​

“Your guidance last spring was a link in the chain that brought us to this place of potential reconciliation and, as such, I think that we must all call that work a success even if you have worked yourself out of a job. We are very grateful for your assistance and would gladly recommend your sensitive guidance to couples in the process of mediation or discernment.”