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I asked the following lawyers to write a testimonial about me, as well as my lawyer and mediator skills and abilities, for two primary reasons. First, they are all preeminent family law attorneys in North Carolina and most of them are, themselves, both litigators and mediators and, in some cases, arbitrators. Second, all of them have known me for decades and I have been opposing counsel with each of them, and have served as mediator for each of them many times. Of the many hundreds of cases I have mediated, in many of them, at least one, and at times two, of the following lawyers were serving as counsel in the case being mediated.

Michael W. Drye, P.C.  510 Swannanoa River Road  ©2013 by Michael W. Drye, P.C. All rights reserved.

Asheville, NC 28805 Tel: (828) 298-1484  Fax: (828) 298-1470

"I have known Michael for 37 years, having met him at the Practical Skills Seminar in August, 1976, when we both learned we had passed the Bar. Having known Michael professionally and socially during this time, I believe I am well qualified to assess Michael's skills as an attorney and mediator. In cases that I have had with Michael acting as an attorney, I have always found him to be knowledgeable, skilled and competent and a worthy advocate for his client. Relatively few of those cases went to litigation because, frankly, Michael has always had a good grasp of the law as it applied to his cases and effective control over his clients and has been able to negotiate a good result. He has infrequently had to pursue litigation to trial. As a mediator in family law cases, Michael is and has been for some time my first choice as a mediator. His unique skill set and personality, coupled with his extensive knowledge of the law, make him especially qualified and efficacious in the high asset, complex family law cases that I typically handle. I have used Michael as a mediator many times. Many of the cases Michael has mediated for me have not only involved complex business valuation and financial issues, but have also been very highly emotionally charged as well. Michael has the ability to defuse the emotional overlays and bring a calming effect to the mediation process, resulting more often than not in a successful mediated settlement that is equitable to both parties. I will continue to use Michael and recommend him as a mediator in family law cases." 

               

Howard L. Gum
Board Certified Family Law Specialist
Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
Certified Family Law Arbitrator
Gum Hillier & McCroskey

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"I have had the pleasure of working with Mike over the past 18 years. I have the highest regard for Mike's knowledge, creativity and ethics as a mediator. Very few mediators have the skill to handle substantial and complex issues in the manner that Mike handles with ease. His reflective listening and communication skills allow him to effectively bring all parties to a willingness and desire to resolve the matters at hand, while his creativity and insightfulness are instrumental in his ability to reach resolution. I cannot recommend his skills as a mediator highly enough for words to do justice."



Patrick S. McCroskey

Board Certified Specialist in Family Law

Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers

Gum, Hillier & McCroskey

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"I have known Michael for more than 30 years and have worked with him numerous times in family law cases, both as opposing counsel and as my choice as mediator in cases I am involved in. As opposing counsel, I have always found Mike to be prepared, competent, thorough and a strong advocate for his client. As a mediator, I have found Michael to be highly effective. He possesses good listening and communication skills, both of which enable him to show empathy in highly complex, emotionally charged divorce cases. Although Mike's extensive knowledge of family law and his trial experience over nearly four decades are critically important and contribute to him being an excellent mediator in family law cases, it is his personality and listening and communication skills that uniquely set him apart from other good mediators. I have used Michael as a mediator numerous times over the last 15 years in my family law cases and I wholeheartedly recommend him as a highly skilled and effective mediator."

 

 

Ingrid K. FriesenBoard
Certified Specialist in Family Law
Ingrid Friesen, PA

"I have had the pleasure of using Michael as a mediator in numerous divorce cases. Michael's experience, as both a family law specialist and mediator, makes settlement a very real possibility even in the most difficult and contentious cases. Michael not only understands the complicated financial issues that arise in many divorces, he also understands, appreciates and validates the highly charged emotions that most divorce clients experience during the divorce process. Michael has helped my clients settle many cases that, frankly, I thought could not be resolved without a trial."

 

 

Monty C. Beck

Board Certified Specialist in Family Law

Coward, Hicks & Siler, P.A.

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"It has been my pleasure to know professionally and work with Mike Drye for over 30 years in regard to litigation and mediation matters. I have been impressed, and I continue to be impressed, with the knowledge, ability, skill, diligence and sincerity which Mike displays and utilizes in his work as an extremely successful mediator. My clients and I have had numerous, positive experiences in mediations with Mike, and I will continue to recommend Mike as a mediator."

 

William A. Parker

Long, Parker, Warren, Anderson & Payne

 

"I have used Mike Drye as my mediator of choice for many years. Mike combines a profound understanding of Family Law with excellent mediation skills. He is good at engaging people in the mediation process. He works with parties and attorneys to find creative solutions, while graciously preserving with both sides his integrity as a neutral to facilitate a resolution of the issues in a manner acceptable to both parties. It is always a pleasure to work with Mike."

 

 

James J. Hugenschmidt

Board Certified Specialist in Family Law

Pitts, Hay & Hugenschmidt, P.A.

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"As a Family Law Specialist, I have used the mediation expertise of Michael Drye for almost 20 years. In a substantial percentage of those mediations, we were able to resolve, with Mike's skill, a thoughtful creative and effective result for the parties going through the process of divorce and property division. Mike possesses the patience and ability to 'think outside the box' to assist parties in listening to the other side, understanding their own needs and making it fit. I highly recommend the services of Michael Drye as your mediator."

 

 

Diane K. McDonald

Board Certified Family Law Specialist

The McDonald Law Office

"Michael Drye is one of the more effective Family Financial Mediators in the Western North Carolina area. He is a patient listener, even where the parties come in with entrenched positions, and he has the unique ability to get folks to move towards settlement even when it appears that settlement is unlikely. His knowledge of family law is very helpful in his efforts to push towards settlement, especially when he is called upon to give a neutral evaluation. When a deal gets close, he will not let the parties back down until the settlement is inked and ready to be entered as a final agreement or consent order. Even though he pushes parties to get their case resolved, he does s  in a subtle manner that generally leaves the parties with the feeling that neither side was bowled over and that the ultimate resolution was fair to both sides. I have worked frequently with Michael in numerous complex family financial matters and am always happy to highly recommend him as a mediator."

 

 

Eugene M. Carr, III

Board Certified Family Law Specialist

Bazzle, Carr & Parce, P.A.