April Walker knew she wanted to be a lawyer earlier than many and eventually decided she could best use her skills as a mediator. In this installment of “Meet our Mediators,” Richard Lord introduces us to one of the recent additions to our mediation panel. "Ms. Walker, recognized by the Florida Trend 2018 Legal Elite, grew up with a front row seat to trial practice, almost literally," he writes. "You see, well before high school, because her mom worked in the Dade County Courthouse, April often found herself in the gallery during holiday breaks. There, she was introduced to the courtroom and to a career of wanting to help people. Like many effective mediators, she has a sincere curiosity about the role of human behavior in dispute dynamics and is a patient facilitator in the process of peeling back the layers of a dispute to identify potential solutions. The search for the elements of a possible resolution, the process of exploration and negotiation fit her interests and personality very well."

In another summer full of honors, Upchurch Watson White & Max panel members shine again. In July, Renée Thompson became the first among our mediators ever to be named one of the Fastcase 50. To start off the season in June, six of our mediators were named to either the Florida or Alabama Super Lawyers list for 2019, and firm Principal Rodney A. Max made the list for both states.

Dispute resolution professionals from Upchurch Watson White & Max, based in Florida and Alabama, and Georgia-based Miles Mediation & Arbitration will team up for three Webinars this year, accredited by bar associations for CLE in all three states.