EILEEN L. COEN, J.D.

Why I Do This Work

Part of what I’ve experienced in my own life is having to deal with a lot of transitions and needing to “reinvent” myself, sometimes under challenging circumstances. I enjoy helping people discover a way forward when they are feeling uncertain and helpless or fearful in the face of change. It’s a privilege to be a part of people’s lives as they struggle to tap into their inner resources – the compassion, courage, resilience, creativity and wisdom that we all possess, if only we can access it. Every day I find this work to be humanizing and, surprisingly, it gives me hope.

Experience

Eileen has mediated hundreds of divorce cases and workplace conflicts in the private and public sectors. In addition to her work with Mediation Matters, Eileen mediates child custody cases for Baltimore Circuit Court and child protection cases for DC Superior Court. She has also mediated for the District Court of Maryland, the Maryland Commission on Human Relations, the Key Bridge Foundation, US Department of Energy, NASA and the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County.

Eileen brings her experience as an attorney, facilitator and trainer in cross-cultural communication to her role as a mediator. Previously, Eileen worked as an attorney with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). She has been a trainer with Help Increase the Peace, a national program of the American Friends Service Committee, and a facilitator for the Montgomery County Public Schools Study Circles Program, which helps schools address the challenges posed by cultural and racial differences and their impact upon school performance.

Professional

Eileen is a certified mediator with the Maryland Council on Dispute Resolution (MCDR), where she served as a board member for four years. She is a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) and Maryland Performance for Mediator Excellence (MPME), where she serves on the diversity task force. She is also a founding member of Mediators Beyond Borders.

Eileen earned her J.D. degree from George Washington University in 1990 and is a member of the DC, Montgomery County and California bars.

Eileen lives in Chevy Chase with her husband and two teenage children. When she isn’t mediating, she can be found cheering in the stands at her son’s baseball games or driving her daughter to dance lessons and the mall. Eileen loves to spend weekends with her family at their cabin on the Chesapeake Bay.