Savannah Mediator and Judge for the Georgia Juvenile Courts
Patricia Stone is a registered neutral with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. She has extensive experience mediating disputes in personal injury, construction, medical malpractice, wrongful death, as well as corporate and domestic litigation matters including divorce and child custody. She served as juvenile court judge with the Chatham County Juvenile Court of the Eastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia from 2003 to 2015 and was appointed a Senior Juvenile Court Judge by Governor Nathan Deal in 2015.
Extensive Experience with People In Crisis Including Personal Injury Mediation, Wrongful Death Mediation, Divorce Mediation
Miss Stone’s experience as a Senior Judge in the Juvenile Court gives her a unique capacity to mediate in situations that would overwhelm others. She is used to working with people in crisis and people in unusual and emotional situations and experienced at asking the right questions to clarify underlying issues. She is intimately familiar with the court process and has extensive proficiency working with lawyers advocating divergent positions.
Divorce Mediator and Domestic Mediation
Miss Stone’s experience in the Juvenile Court gives her a unique capacity to understand domestic disputes and offer unbiased mediation for sensitive divorce issues. Her extensive experience in juvenile law gives her authority in guiding couples on difficult issues like child custody. The following is partial list of Miss Stone’s achievements in Juvenile Law in Georgia:
- Presided over all aspects of Juvenile Law including the following
- Dependency
- Delinquency
- Children in Need of Services (CHINS)
- Traffic
- Terminations of Guardianships
- Programs created by Miss Stone for children and families include
- Chatham County Family Dependency Treatment Court (FDTC)
(Nationally Recognized) - Future Focus
- Girls Enriched and Responsibly Living (GERL)
- Chatham County Family Dependency Treatment Court (FDTC)
Mediator for Corporate and Construction Disputes
As a Senior Judge, Miss Stone was responsible for negotiations with vendors and oversight of new architectural plans for the Juvenile Court renovation. She was also responsible for the institution’s budget and supervision for more than 50 employees. Her first hand experience overseeing a large enterprise like the Juvenile Court gives her insight into the nuances of management and the work required for construction projects.
From Neutral to Neutral in Savannah, GA
Miss Stone is esteemed for her ability to listen to opposing sides and understand complex issues. Her ability to listen and understand opposing sides enables her to reframe and facilitate positive communication so that parties themselves can make their own decisions.
Miss Stone created and presided over the Chatham County Family Dependency Treatment Court. This court received awards from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, NPC Research, and television station WJCL. It was recognized as a Model Peer Learning Court and is considered one of the top 5 programs nationwide.
Awards for Leadership and Excellence
- Georgia Senate Resolution 59 for leadership and outstanding service to the community of Chatham County,
Savannah-Chatham Day, Atlanta, Georgia, January 29, 2015. - National Award of Excellence by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Children and Family Futures. Chatham County Family Dependency Treatment Court named as Model Peer Learning Court and one of top 5 programs in the United States for three consecutive years, 2012 – 2015.
- Georgia Top Performer Award for Family Dependency Treatment Court from NPC Research, 2012.
- Georgia Leadership Award for demonstrating outstanding vision for change and leadership, Georgia Child Placement Conference, 2009.
- WJCL’s Champion for Change for Family Dependency Treatment Court, 2009.
Mediation in Savannah and Surrounding Counties
The law offices of Stone & Sullivan serve residents in Chatham County and surrounding counties including Bryan County, Effingham County, Liberty County, Tattnall County and Bulloch County.