If Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gilbert King had not related the true story in 'Beneath a Ruthless Sun,' many who know Judge Graham very well would not have known about his courage and determination as a young attorney. Graham, a mediator with Upchurch Watson White & Max since 2012, will receive an award, named for him by his local bar association, on Oct. 24, 2019.

There are so many convenient ways to get to our Miami office, and some of them are even fun!

Arthur Garcia Jr. of Upchurch Watson White & Max Mediation Group will be a speaker on Friday, Oct. 18, for a session that compares arbitration to mediation and one that explains how to plan and present for effective mediation advocacy.

Ricardo's comments and facilitated discussion on mediating franchise disputes are part of the Miami roundtable titled “Building Industry Specific Mediation Expertise in a Competitive ADR Marketplace” specifically for AAA-ICDR mediators.

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.

Howard R. Marsee, a longtime mediator and arbitrator with Upchurch Watson White & Max, is set to speak for two sessions at the Florida Dispute Resolution Center's 27th Annual Conference Aug. 15 to 17, 2019, at the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes. His "How Do You Deal With This? Ethical Dilemmas During Mediation" workshop "will explore, with audience interaction, the real-life ethical dilemmas and practical quandaries that mediators often encounter as part of the mediation process." He designed the scenarios to be true to life, with some requiring the mediator to "juggle standards of conduct that may seem at odds with one another."

Mediator Robert A. "Bob" Cole recently received the 2019 Joseph P. Milton Professionalism and Civility Award from the Florida Chapters of the American Board of Trial Advocates at its Annual Convention/Board Inauguration Chapter Leadership & CLE Program in Orlando. FLABOTA established the award, which is given occasionally rather than annually, in 2012 in honor of its now deceased former president, Joseph P. Milton, who became known for his service to the organization and his high standards of professionalism, civility and ethics. This year's award was presented in late July at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World, and Bob was not the only Jacksonville honoree of the evening.

Members of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers will hear UWWM panelists speak on the topic "Getting the Most Out of Mediation."

Don Weidner, a Tallahassee-based neutral who joined the Upchurch Watson White & Max panel in 2016, recently was interviewed for a question-and-answer column in The Neutral, a newsletter published online by the Florida Dispute Resolution Center. Don was dean of the Florida State University College of Law for almost 25 years and still serves as dean emeritus, though he's also a full-time mediator/arbitrator. He told interviewer Susan C. Marvin, Chief of Alternative Dispute Resolution for the DRC, that he had gained valuable experience in managing conflict and resolving disputes during his academic and administrative career. "I decided to develop those skills and study to become certified as a mediator and qualified as an arbitrator," he said.