When people hear what Pat does for a living, they ask why anyone would want to step between
parties in conflict. Acknowledging that it can be a bloody business, Pat notes, “For me the
answer is simple. I really don’t want others to make the same mistakes I have.”

Pat married when he was 18 and fathered three children. He went on to pursue an undergraduate
degree in psychology and a graduate degree in law before joining his family’s business. Then, “I
chucked it all in a mid-life crisis,” says Pat. “The mistakes I made then formed the genesis of
what I do now. Helping others avoid those same mistakes has become my driving passion.”

All the elements of Pat’s background experience in both small and large businesses, practicing
law, church life, as well as serving as an officer in a variety of state and national associations,
convinced him of one thing. People can settle their own disputes without resorting to the legal
system. The trick has always been to look at the “what” and the “why” of the relationship itself,
and not so much at the conflict or the law. If you can find the shared values of the situation, you
can settle the conflict.

Pat knows about settling conflict. He has served as an Attorney-Mediator in private practice in
Zionsville, Indiana, for nearly 30 years combining his training in Pastoral Counseling and
Marriage and Family Therapy with his training as an attorney to conduct thousands of
mediations. He was a Founding Board Member and Past President of the Indiana Association of
Mediators. He served as the Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Indiana
State Bar Association. He was a principal drafter of the amendments to Indiana’s Rules of
Alternative Dispute Resolution concerning the allowable and ethical practices of domestic
mediators with unrepresented parties in family law cases. He served as a member of the Indiana
ADR Rules Review Task Force. His legal representation has been limited to divorce clients who
are disadvantaged by financial, mental health, or other substantial disabilities in the prosecution
or defense of their case.

Pat notes, “The founding of The Resolution Center brings together all of my past history with all
of my skills, talents and experience. I am truly honored to be a member of an extraordinary group
of professionals who are dedicated to serving people in crisis.”