Stephen Erickson and Marilyn McKnight, founders and mediators at Erickson Mediation Institute.

Minnesota’s first and most successful divorce mediation service

By selecting Erickson Mediation Institute for your divorce mediation, you are choosing the most experienced and successful divorce mediation service in Minnesota.

Founded in 1977 by Stephen Erickson, J.D., and Marilyn McKnight, M.A., Erickson Mediation Institute offers you a safe, confidential, economical and fair process to arrive at divorce and parenting solutions.

EMI was the first divorce mediation firm in the Midwest and continues to be one of the largest private, full-time and full-service mediation firms. Its founders still own the firm and practice mediation.

Innovation that helps avoid costly divorce settlements
Throughout its history, EMI has pioneered innovative mediation methods that are now standards for divorce mediation.

Erickson Mediation Institute History

1977 - Steve and Marilyn were part of a small group of people in the United States who began mediating divorces, based on the teachings and philosophy of Jim Coogler. That same year, they opened what was then the third private mediation practice in the country, and is now the longest-operating mediation firm in the country.

1979 - Steve was awarded the Bush Leadership Fellowship to study mediation.

1980 - Conducted the first 40-Hour Divorce Mediation Training in the country in F. Lauderdale, FL. Co-wrote the manual and co-designed the curriculum for that training, the core of which is still used today in 40-hour trainings around the country and abroad. Have since trained thousands of professionals including judges, pastors and mental health professionals throughout the US, Canada and England. Marilyn has taught at the University of Minnesota Rochester Center and the University of Minnesota School of Social Work, Steve has taught at the University of St. Thomas Law School and both have taught at William Mitchell College of Law as adjunct professors.

1981 - Steve co- founded the Academy of Family Mediators, the first professional organization of mediators and at the time the largest family mediation organization in existence.

1982 - Steve and Marilyn successfully conducted the first sexual harassment mediation of a case referred by the MN State Department of Human Rights.

1983 - Marilyn and Steve were the first to successfully use a “neutral accountant” in a divorce mediation.

1984 - Steve and Marilyn trained A.M. “Sandy” Keith in mediation skills, which was the beginning of an enduring friendship and collaboration on many projects over the years.

1985 - They conducted the first farm finance workout mediation and later that year drafted the rules for the statewide farm mediation program: Rules and Guidelines of the Minnesota Farmer-Lender Mediation Act. From 1985 to 1989, Marilyn and Steve trained over 800 volunteers for the Volunteer Farm Mediation Training Program throughout Minnesota and wrote the Farm Finance Mediation Training Manual.

1985 - Marilyn and Steve co-sponsored a seminar for Minnesota Clergy entitled Conflict - Curse or Blessing with the Abbott Northwestern Hospital Pastoral Counseling Center.

1986 - Steve was the second president of the Academy of Family Mediators.

1987 - Marilyn was awarded the Bush Leadership Fellowship to study mediation.

1988 - Published the first casebook in the field of mediation: Family Mediation Casebook: Theory and Process and have since co-authored four more books on mediation.

1990 - Consulted on and assisted with the drafting and implementation of Minnesota Rule 114 with Chief Justice A.M. “Sandy” Keith which, among other things, provides a Code of Ethics for mediators in Minnesota, established an ADR Review Board and complaint procedures for ADR clients in Minnesota, and maintains a Roster of Neutrals in Minnesota who have taken an approved mediation training and complete regular continuing education.

1991 - Marilyn served as the tenth president of the Academy of Family Mediators.

1995 - Steve and Marilyn were invited to present a seminar on Congregational Mediation at the New York Theological Seminary in New York City.

1995 - Marilyn and Steve received the Augsburg College Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

1995 - Marilyn was an Invited Attendee to the First Nations Rights to Water Conference, sponsored by the Pacific Business and Law Institute, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

1996 - Awarded the Distinguished Mediator Award for outstanding contributions to the field by the Academy of Family Mediators

1998 - Marilyn and Steve mediated for the United States Postal Service in their innovative REDRESS (Resolve Employment Disputes, Reach Equitable Solutions Swiftly) program for the mediation of EEO complaints and Marilyn was a trainer for the program.

1999 - Developed, consulted on and testified for the passage of Minnesota’s Parenting Plan Statute 518.1705, which at the time was an innovative and new concept, having been adopted in only a handful of other states and is now commonplace in most of the states in the US.

2007 - Steve and Marilyn were named as one of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Top Ten Contributors to the Field of Mediation in Minnesota.

2008 - Marilyn and Steve co-authored an Op Ed piece for the Minneapolis Star Tribune on foreclosure mediation: The problem? Foreclosures. The solution? Mediation, where they cited their success mediating farm foreclosures in the 1980s and offered a model for mediating the current crisis.

2009 - Marilyn is the Chair of the national ACR Working Group on Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation, which is working to educate financial institutions and the public about the value of mediation.

2009 - Steve is the Chair of the ACR Certification Taskforce working to establish a process for credentialing advanced mediators nationally that would include a licensing exam and an experiential component that are statistically reliable and valid.