Blog
In this installment of “Meet our Mediators,” we get to know Ana Cristina Maldonado. You may already have met her as a mediator, or through her work with The Florida Bar Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, Craig S. Barnard Inns of Court, Palm Beach Hispanic Bar Association, Mediator Qualifications & Disciplinary Review Board, and her work with various mediation and dispute resolution training groups. Cristina epitomizes what it means to be diverse in experiences, skills, and interests.
After years of including a mandatory arbitration clause in its terms of service with its customers, internet behemoth Amazon has quietly changed its terms of service after being inundated with tens of thousands of arbitration demands by plaintiffs’ lawyers over privacy concerns with Amazon’s Alexa devices
Mr. Harke is well-known for his advocacy in national multi-district mass tort and class action cases and will be a presenter for Upchurch Watson White & Max's Webinar this month, "Resolving Class Actions & Mass Claims in 2021: A Civil and Ethical Approach."
Shareholder Richard Lord interviews fellow mediator Karen Brimmer, who joined Upchurch Watson White & Max earlier this year, to talk about motivation, favorite books, curiosity and creativity.
In this installment of “Meet our Mediators,” shareholder Richard Lord interviews fellow panel member Fred Lauten. "I first met Fred almost 30 years ago and all along have considered him to be a true professional, keen legal mind and a good person. He has brought those attributes, and more, with him to Upchurch Watson White & Max, and I am pleased to introduce him to some of you."
"This is a classic case of 'user error' – as advised during our Zoom webinar in March, if you’re going to use Zoom for mediations (or any business purpose) you should ALWAYS ENABLE WAITING ROOMS functionality and ALWAYS PASSWORD PROTECT your meetings."
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."
Steve Jaffe started his legal career as an Assistant State Attorney. In that capacity, the keen interpersonal skills he brings to mediation helped him quickly become a mentor to and supervisor of others. On the civil side, Steve first practiced insurance defense and later focused his energies on a plaintiff practice. After a decade or so in Miami-Dade and another decade in Broward, Steve became very well known for his work in consumer class actions which he handled around the country. These days, when not mediating, Steve enjoys travel and finds joy in a very special charitable endeavor. Not a big fan of being sedentary, Steve prefers active travel, with skiing, and rafting high on his preferred list. Steve also enjoys cycling trips. And, when asked about a favorite place to visit, the answer came without hesitation – Italy.
The Working Group II (Dispute Resolution) of the U.N. Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) met in February to complete its work on the drafts of the instruments. That should be exciting to dispute resolution professionals because the end result may be significant growth of international commercial mediation.
In this, our first 2018 installment of “Meet our Mediators”, we turn northward to Alabama and present shareholder George M. "Marty" Van Tassel. Marty joined UWWM in 2014 after having led the Mediation Center at Sirote & Permutt P.C. in Birmingham, Alabama. Resident in our Birmingham office, Marty graduated from both the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama School of Law where he has served as an adjunct professor in mediation process and practice. Marty has refined his skills through the most effective means possible – experience – and is sought after precisely for those traits that he identifies as those he has seen in the most successful lawyers.