Sutherland Mediation Services Information

Dr. Vernell M. Sutherland is an experienced mediator. She received her M.B.A. from the College of William & Mary, her Ed.D. from Boston University, and her J.D. from Capital University Law School—completing her final two years of legal study at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary. Dr. Sutherland began her professional career as an educator but later moved into business management. She brings to her mediation practice more than two decades of senior management experience in for-profit and non-profit organizations—including law firms—along with extensive personal experience in employment-related legal issues including issues related to sex discrimination and sexual harassment. Dr. Sutherland did her initial mediation training with the Office of the City Attorney, Columbus, Ohio. Since then she received advanced training in family mediation from Ms. Dorothy Della Noce, Esq., a certified mediator and past president of the Virginia Mediation Network; earned advanced mediation certification from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law; and completed Family Medication Certification from the New Hampshire Certified Family Mediation Training Program. Dr. Sutherland is licensed to practice law in Virginia, California, and the District of Columbia. She is a licensed to sell real estate in Virginia.