My ex wife and I had Brian and Ellen as mediators. I wish I had read the reviews of these two clowns before agreeing to work with them. First, Ellen just sits and I guess takes notes and stays silent. Brian acts like everything they are suggesting is necessary even if it favors the other person overwhelmingly. He told my ex wife to fill out the financial paperwork with what she thinks her monthly expenses will be and not what they currently are. When I confronted him about incorrect information given, he told me he has 20 years of experience and acted offended. Now I am stuck with an agreement that was based on false financial affidavits. Do not go through these fools. They will make things worse and waste your time and money. read more

Awful. Not sure who the Brian is reviewers are raving about but the Brian I experienced was nasty, a bully, impatient, and made me cry more than once. The proposed mediation agreement drawn up by Brian and the other mediator (who was largely quiet) had 100% of everything my spouse wanted and 0% of what I requested and he got angry with me when I pointed out the unfairness of it. Throughout the process I would ask for their intervention as my spouse refused to speak with me from the onset and instead of helping us talk through the problems we faced, they simply accepted his silence as a part of the mediation. Never, ever, ever would I recommend them to anybody and I have made sure others know this as well. read more

Brian was recommended to us via Lilac Tree and he was fantastic. His professional, non-biased demenor made what could have been a very painful mediation, simple and clear cut. He was fair, reasonably priced and expedient. If you can avoid expensive and aggressive divorce attorneys and use Brian James. read more

Would NEVER recommend Brian or his services to even my worst enemy. He is the worst. Not sure whether he has law degree. He didnt do his job we hired him to do and completely useless and created more issues for me and my ex. We could have resolved ourselves in a better manner. He never seems to have any knowledge of legal obligations or rules for that matter. Even after repeat warnings he wouldnt stop and he would keep going back to incidents prior divorce for no reason and not relevant to the mediation we were seeking. He wasted our time and money and provided no help. Every meeting ended with resentment and unnecessary flashback being dusted just to worsen the situation. We tried to give him benefit of the doubt and it didnt help and finally we just gave up and learned a lesson. Dont waste your money and dont waste your time, he isnt there to behave like a mediator but a Jerry Springer wannabe. Avoid this guy at all costs. Completely unprofessional and has no knowledge of law and doesnt know how to communicate or resolve conflict. read more

Brian and Ellen were great as I was going through a divorce from a very angry man almost 10 years ago! Having two mediators was great. It helped neutralize situations that could have gone wrong b/c one could play good cop and the other bad cop. They are very knowledgable and supportive. We were able to muscle our way through the main parts of a divorce. We had started with one mediator before we found them. Also, they have been amazing at answering quick and not so quick questions over the years! I highly recommend them!! read more

Brian helped make the mediation process smooth and less painful than it could have. He is knowledgeable, and approaches the situation with compassion. In places where we got stuck or were unsure of what approach to take, he'd offer professional insight regarding what he seen over the years and help us talk things through. read more

Brian James was my mediator when I was divorcing in 2011, and has continued to be our mediator as has been necessary in recent years and month. I found his approach to be fair, and his knowledge of Illinois family law to be especially helpful. He is an excellent advocate for children. He clearly told us "I work for your daughter", and that was great by me as there were times where I wasn't sure how to best protect her as new information came to light. I found his suggestions to be grounded in data and studies regarding what's best for children and also grounded in Illinois law. When it came to finances, he's looking for fair but is open to compromise. Make good use of his recommendations when possible, he stays current and it's part of his job to ensure what's in the agreement is fair. Start with Brian. Move to attorneys if needed. But start here. read more

Brian was extremely helpful when we've worked with him several times. He was able to get us further along than we had been able to in years past. He is honest and constructive. read more

I can not speak highly enough of Brian and how much he helped the divorce process go smoothly. Major life changes are stressful and it made a difference having a non-biased person in the middle to help. I feel like half the stress level was taken away by his assistance. Divorces can become ugly and I can't say we had too many obstacles. We were able to complete the divorce within six months. This included tackling parental agreement scheduling as well. Brian is logical and offers the least complicated solution. Without Brian so much more money would have been waisted into the court system. When all that was needed was a little counseling between the two parties to come to a compromise. Brain is professional and does an outstanding job with his profession. I would highly recommend Brian, could not imagine doing the divorce without him. read more

I highly recommend Brian's mediation services! He is extremely skilled, knowledgeable, efficient, thorough, and effective. I know he puts clients at ease during a difficult and oftentimes, highly stressful, part of their lives. His experience in family law helps clients feel empowered and in control of their futures. Thank you, Brian!! read more

So, this process is painful and expensive for anyone going through it, terribly so I'm afraid. However, mediation is supposed to be the better way and is supposed to be less acrimonious. We got Brian James and Ellen Feldman as our mediators for this and Brian showed up to the meeting via zoom in what appeared to be a track suit. He was also working from a space where we had to ask him to move because we could hear his wife and someone else having a conversation. This was more than six months into Covid so he should have known better, furthermore, if I could hear his wife couldn't she hear me (he didn't have a headset)? So, how confidential was this? Brian opened the conversation by asking us what we each thought mediation was? I told him that at $500 an hour I'd rather him just tell me than us spending our time (and money) sharing with him something he already knew the answer to - he said, "it's only $250" an hour. He and Ellen then laid out how extremely confidential the whole process was and how nothing that was said in mediation could be used in the courts, totally confidential (I should have known that his wife being able to overhear meant that this was already not true, but I didn't think of that until now). After a total of 22 minutes where I felt like my wife was saying things that weren't true and that were hostile I told them we would pay them for their time, but that I was done and I hung up. I thought they were unprofessional and biased from the start, other than pop music moguls who makes that kind of money an hour wearing a tracksuit and asking questions they know the answers to? The whole thing was terrible! Then to top it off my wife shows me that both Ellen and Brian reached out to her and gave her evidence against me that she could indeed use in court, nice. So, in trusting them just the smallest amount my life got worse and it was already pretty bad or I wouldn't have been reaching out to them. Absolutely, stay from this company and particularly any association with Brian James. People are fragile enough in these situations but being unprofessional, lying to them, and being snide does not help the situation in the slightest. read more

When my marriage and life were falling apart I was referred to Brian James and C.E.L. & Associates. Had not worked with a mediator and was not sure if this would help. Thank goodness I called. Brian had his work cut out for him with us and he delivered. He dealt with emotions, anger, confusion and more. He helped my now ex and me stay focused on our children and the future as we separated and divorced. Still and forever grateful. I have referred Brian many times and will continue to! read more

Working with Brian during our separation was very helpful. He helped us navigate through painful topics, was even and fair, and challenging when he needed to be. I found him overall very responsive and supportive as well. I would highly recommend him if you choose mediation! read more

I worked with Brian as a mediator for my divorce. He was very responsive, friendly, and compassionate throughout the process. He was super easy to work with and I highly recommend him. read more

Brian James was a great assistance to my client in mediating his divorce and parenting issues. The parties were able to limit their litigation and attorney's fees by working out the majority of their issues in mediation. Brian also worked closely with both attorneys as we drafted the final documents to ensure they accurately reflected the mediated agreement. During the drafting process some issues arose and Brian was able to get the parties back in to discuss and work out those issues quickly. read more

Brian James and Ellen Feldman were of outstanding help in my divorce. They both remained sympathetic and professional throughout a difficult and acrimonious process. The mediation process is much faster and less costly than a litigated divorce and all divorcing couples should consider it, particularly with children. I strongly endorse them for the process. read more

These people are angels! They helped me through an excruciatingly painful and difficult divorce, and brought reason and sanity to the whole process. All done with dignity and fairness, and even a sense of humor when needed. And at a fraction of what my attorney cost, while offering more substantial resolution skills. I am convinced Brian and Ellen have the knowledge, experience, and compassion to help anyone in difficulty. I am forever grateful to them! read more

In his response, you'll see that Brian takes issue with the messenger but does not dispute the message. I have documentation, including his excuses, for the following: - He failed to include or even discuss details pertinent to the divorce agreement. I learned of these independently of Brian and when this was brought to his attention, he admitted that he normally includes them yet he did not take responsibility for the oversights. - Additionally, to draft an accurate agreement in this case would have required nothing more than keeping basic notes. Brian wasn't able to do that; fortunately, we were. - His communication was scarce and offered little beyond dotting i's and crossing t's, and at times even that proved to be a formidable task. - Responding to negative feedback, Brian attempted to defend his work by referencing conversations between us that never took place. These make-believe conversations are either further evidence of Brian's deficient attention to detail and his innate aversion to accountability, or deliberate falsehoods created solely to try to convince himself that he adequately performed the job he was hired to do. I stand by my review. read more

Brian James was very helpful with our divorce process. Things went smoothly and he helped us to make the right decisions for our children. I would definitely suggest the mediation process and Brian to anyone going through a divorce. I think it's healthier and happier for the children and parents. Highly recommended. read more

Brian's objective perspective helped us to stay focus on decision making without an emotional response even when possibilities of mud slinging entered the discussion. He enabled us to negotiate and compromise by continuing to encourage us to reach consensus by understanding the entire financial picture. Although the process took longer than we had hoped, the money we saved by using the mediator process was worth it. read more

Brian James is my go-to mediator for all of my clients. He has a creative approach to each case to ensure that individual needs are met. Brian is direct, honest, reasonable, prompt, responsive and has a stellar track record with my referrals in reaching settlement. C.E.L. has the ability to meet all over the Chicago and Suburban areas...even further south and west than you might think! I recommend Brian James and his team first every time. I never regret it. read more

I utilized Brian James for mediation with my ex husband. This was the first time that mediation was used for both of us. Brian briefly spoke to each of us on the phone regarding what we wanted to accomplish at mediation. There was not specific procedures explained as far as how the process of mediation worked, what to expect, how the meeting would go, or an agenda provided. Brian allowed my ex to turn the mediation into a counseling session, name call, yell... when I tried to interject and stop it from happening I was told to stop and let my ex continue. It was truthfully like allowing two angry pitbulls fight in a ring. My narcissistic ex was allowed to manipulate and play games just as he always did before. The initial issues (regarding our child) that were the real reason we were in mediation took the back seat while my ex (focused on making it personal) bringing up random thoughts that he could throw in my face or read articles from the internet about God. It was poorly structured, Brian had no control. The following day my Ex backed out of everything he agreed to. To top it off, Brian then unprofessionally says in an email to me that the 3 hours we spent in mediation was "sadly a waste of time and money" and "his personal feel was that based on my demeanor and the way that I spoke to my ex was probably what led to my divorce." He spent only 3 hours with us, I spent 7 years with my ex, how DARE he make such an unprofessional comment and judgement! I would NOT recommend him as a mediator or a fair legal consultant to anyone! read more