Roy Baroff

About Roy

Roy Baroff is a Mediator and Organizational Ombuds with MWI. His professional background spans civil litigation, mediation, facilitation, workplace conflict resolution, negotiation, ombuds practice, and dispute resolution education.

Roy became a Certified Mediator in 1992 through the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission’s Superior Court Mediation Program and has maintained that certification since then. He is also certified to mediate Family Financial and Clerk of Court cases in North Carolina.

Over the course of his career, Roy has mediated more than 1,000 cases both within and outside the legal system. His experience includes civil, employment, family financial, workplace, organizational, and court-connected matters.

Mediation Approach

Roy brings a practical, thoughtful, and experience-based approach to mediation. His background as an attorney, litigator, ombuds, facilitator, and educator allows him to understand both the legal and human dimensions of conflict.

He helps parties clarify the issues they are facing, identify underlying interests, evaluate available options, and communicate more effectively. His goal is to create a structured and respectful process in which participants can make informed decisions and work toward realistic resolutions.

Roy combines mediation theory with decades of direct experience, helping participants move beyond fixed positions and explore practical paths forward.

Organizational Ombuds Experience

Roy most recently completed more than seven years of service as the Faculty and Staff Ombuds for North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He joined the International Ombuds Association in 2007 after completing the organization’s initial organizational ombuds training. He earned the Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner designation in 2017 and renewed the designation in 2021.

Roy served an elected four-year term on the International Ombuds Association Board of Directors from 2018 through 2022. In February 2022, he also served as a trainer for the IOA Foundations course, which introduces participants to the organizational ombuds role and professional standards of practice.

Legal and Mediation Background

As an attorney, Roy handled civil litigation matters that included trial and hearing experience, case evaluation, negotiation, and the resolution of a wide range of disputes.

He has served as a mediator and facilitator for the Town of Chapel Hill and has mediated employment matters through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Civil Rights.

Roy previously served as Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section. He also served as a member of the North Carolina Academy of Superior Court Mediators and the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.

In recognition of his dispute resolution work, Roy received the designation of Super Lawyer for Alternative Dispute Resolution in 2023.

Teaching and Training

Roy focuses his teaching and professional development work on mediation, negotiation, conflict resolution, and practical communication skills.

He has designed and delivered programs for attorneys, judges, undergraduate and graduate students, military personnel, university faculty, and other professionals. His teaching combines dispute resolution theory with practical tools that participants can apply in challenging conversations and negotiations.

Roy has taught conflict resolution courses at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government, and Elon University School of Law. He currently serves as extended faculty at Elon Law, where he teaches a negotiation course each year.

He has also provided negotiation and mediation training for the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.

Education

Roy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Arts in Anthropology from the University of South Florida.

He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.