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Contact Laura M Grisolano, Esq.

I founded Bridge Mediation to help clients solve problems and move forward. As a former litigator, I am eager to help parties reach mutually beneficial agreements and avoid the costs, delay, adverse publicity, and polarization associated with protracted litigation.

Often, however, it is not enough to merely resolve an existing dispute; it is important to preserve ongoing relationships and lay the groundwork for future collaboration or, at a minimum, civil interaction. My practice specializes in providing mediation and consulting services for family businesses, higher education institutions, non-profit organizations, and professionals in the workplace. Bridge Family Council © sessions can help resolve disputes over custody arrangements and joint parenting agreements, conflicts involving adult children living at home, disagreements over elder care issues, and other family challenges. Community mediations also benefit from my forward-looking, facilitative approach.

My own life experiences have given me a variety of effective tools to unpack and resolve difficult disputes. I am a divorced mom now in a blended family. I am a small business owner. I am an adjunct professor (teaching conflict resolution, the law of higher ed, and leadership development) and a college trustee. I have worked in government, the private sector, and in law, and I spent two years clerking in federal district court for a brilliant judge. My happy clients know that I am committed to understanding their own unique stories and helping them move forward.

Laura holds a Mediation Certificate from Northwestern University and completed Mediation Training with the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She is licensed by the State Bar of California and is an active member of the DuPage County (Illinois) Bar Association, the American Bar Association (Dispute Resolution Section), and the National Association of Women Lawyers. She is an Instructor for the Inaugural Leadership Development Institute of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois. A Truman Scholar and Rhodes Scholar finalist, Grisolano was recognized as the 2013 Woman of the Year in Dispute Resolution by the National Association of Professional Women, and as the inaugural Donald Egan Scholar by the University of Chicago Law School. She has earned a reputation as a leader, a problem solver, and a connector who can move people and organizations to higher levels of performance.

B.A., Claremont McKenna College (1986) J.D., The Law School of the University of Chicago (1998), Mediation Certificate, Northwestern University Conflict Consulting, Straus Institute, Pepperdine University Conflict Coaching, Cinergy Playing Big Facilitator