Mediator Profile: M. Arden Hauer, M.A., J.D.

M. Arden Hauer, MA, JD, is the founder and owner of Friendly Divorce (originally the Center for Non-Adversarial Divorce). She has now been in divorce mediation and consulting for over thirty years.

Education and Experience

Hauer graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College with a major in mathematics, then earned her MA in philosophy at Marquette University. She taught philosophy at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota, and at the University of Portland in Oregon. Later she received her JD from the University of Colorado School of Law.
In private solo law practice, Hauer worked in personal injury, real estate, and bankruptcy, as well as domestic relations. She enjoyed trial work, until she saw its destructive nature, particularly in family matters.

Organizations

Arden  has been active in the Colorado and Boulder Bar Associations, serving on the Alternate Dispute Resolution and Family Law committees. She has also been active in the Boulder County Interdisciplinary Committee on Child Custody (past president), and the Colorado Council of Mediators and Mediation organizations, where she was a keynote speaker. She has taught many classes in continuing legal education and public service. She served for five years on the board of the Colorado Music Festival, and was its vice-president.

Publications

Hauer is the author of the Friendly Divorce Guidebook for Colorado, Bradford Publishing Co., 9th edition 2015. The ground-breaking first edition, co-authored with S.W. Whicher, was published in 1995 to rave reviews and a Best of Denver award from Westword: Best Directions to Splitsville”. Whicher left the project after the fourth edition (to become a judge). Hauer kept the book going through the 9th edition, when the publisher, Bradford, decided to close its doors.