About Anita

Anita C. Deger utilizes many different styles and approaches while mediating.  Her mediation practice is focused mainly in the family law area, and is divided about 50/50 between private and court ordered.

Since the court ordered mediation is limited to four hours of mediation, and the parties are ordered to attend instead of voluntarily participating, Anita takes a more proactive approach.  She listens to the parties.  She hears what they say as well as what they do not say.  She tries to control the emotional tension in the room and facilitate communication by guiding the discussions and asking a lot of questions.  Anita tries to find common goals and utilizes caucus-style sessions in order to reach resolution in the limited time constraints.  She uses a blended approach of the facilitative, evaluative, and transformative approaches.

In the private mediations,  Anita also utilizes all the same approaches but tends to focus mainly on the facilitative approach.  She usually begins with the child custody issues, unless the parties have a strong desire to talk property or finances first.  She has an agenda (items to be discussed) but will deviate if the natural flow of the discussion mandates.

With a style all her own, Anita does not believe that a skilled mediator should be able to articulate their general approach and employ it rigidly.  She believes that a competent mediator should be flexible and possess a multitude of skills, and choose the appropriate skill from their “toolbox”.  She says, “I believe that I am consistently inconsistent.”

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Anita Deger is an experienced attorney, and has been voted Leading Lawyer in Alternative Dispute Resolution in What’s Up? Annapolis by her peers for 2009, 2010, and again in 2012. Anita enjoys the practice of family law and mediation by helping people obtain resolution. She receives many referrals from previous clients, as well as other attorneys. She graduated from the University of Miami with an Accounting major, which enables her to understand your complex property issues. She obtained her J.D. from the University of Baltimore Law School with a concentration in business. Anita has been licensed to practice law in Maryland since 1985. She began her career as a tax senior for the accounting firm of Author Young in Baltimore. Anita obtained her training as a mediator at the Harvard Law School Program of Instruction for Lawyers in 1994. She has been a court certified mediator in Custody and Property for the Circuit Court of Anne Arundel County since 1994, and has mediated over 1,000 private and court-ordered mediations. In addition, Anita is trained as a Collaborative Attorney.

Anita was a member of the Character Committee of the Court of Appeals of Maryland from 1993 – 1997. She stepped down to take the position of Vice Chair of the Maryland State Bar Association Resolution of Fee Disputes Committee; she served there from 1997 – 2000. In 2004, Anita was appointed as the Chair of the Anne Arundel Count Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. She also served as a Council Member for the Maryland State Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Section from 2009 – 2011.

Anita is committed to serving clients and providing efficient and cost-effective representation. She seeks resolutions that protect you, your children, and your assets. The Law Office of Anita C. Deger provides experienced, compassionate, and caring services to her clients during their emotional and financial upheaval. Each case is unique, and each person is an individual. She is committed to reaching the goals of every client, whether by strategic negotiation, mediation, or litigation. Anita believes a lawyer should be accessible. Give her a call at (410) 974-9294, or email her at acdeger@comcast.net.

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