Doug Noll speaks about and teaches people how to solve difficult, intractable and highly emotional problems. He was a business and commercial trial lawyer for 22 years before turning to leadership development, problem-solving and peacemaking. He is a senior consultant with Mobius Executive Leadership and maintains a high-level mediation and arbitration practice.

For his innovative work, Noll has been voted as one of the Best Lawyers in America since 2005, by US News & World Report and has been recognized since 2006 as a Northern California Super Lawyer. He is listed in the International Who’s Who of Commercial Mediation. He has been honored as Lawyer of the Year in 2014 by Best Lawyers in America. In 2014, Doug was honored as a Purpose Prize Fellow by Encore.org.

Along with his colleague Laurel Kaufer, Noll was named California Attorney of the Year in 2012 for their pro bono Prison of Peace project. That work was instrumental to his latest book, De-escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less. The FPU Alumni Office and CPACS will host a book signing for Noll on Thursday, September 28, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. in Alumni Hall on the main campus, 1717 S. Chestnut Ave., Fresno.

Doug Noll is also the author of the book Elusive Peace: How Modern Diplomatic Strategies Could Better Resolve World Conflicts (Prometheus Books, April 2011) and winner of the Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR) International Peace and Justice Book Award for 2011.

In addition, Noll wrote Sex, Politics & Religion at the Office: The New Competitive Advantage (Auberry Press 2006) with John Boogaert, and Peacemaking: Practicing at the Intersection of Law and Human Conflict (Cascadia 2002) as well as numerous articles on peacemaking, restorative justice, conflict resolution and mediation. He is a mediator trainer, lecturer and continuing education panelist. Noll is an adjunct faculty member of the Pepperdine School of Law Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and teaches “The Psychology of Conflict Communication” and “Decision Making.”

Doug Noll makes his home in the foothills above Clovis, CA with his wife, Aleya.

PIVOT QUESTIONS

1. What is your favorite word?

Peace

2. What is your least favorite word?

Disrespect

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Serving others and learning new stuff

4. What turns you off?

Movie violence

5. What is your favorite legal word?

Res ipsa loquitur (lit. “the matter speaks for itself”)

6. What sound or noise do you love?

My violin

7. What sound or noise do you hate?

Crashing metal

8. What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?

Musician

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Medical doctor