Recently, Richard Lord and Charles "Chuck" Tetunic, mediators and shareholders with Upchurch Watson White & Max, were part of a panel for the inaugural conference of The Gavel: Your Claims Defense Network. Their�topic was "Negotiating with Smart Tactics: Vinegar or Honey?," and the discussion was moderated by Florida Bar board certified trial attorney Dan Santaniello of Luks Santaniello Petrillo & Jones in Boca Raton. The Gavel is "a nationwide network of vetted attorneys -- vetted by industry professionals for industry professionals," according to its website, which also serves as an access point for the network. This year the conference, which will become an annual event, was at the Boca Raton Resort and Club on June 13 and 14.

Mediator Ricardo Cata chaired a panel for The Florida Bar International Law Section at the recent Bar Convention in Boca Raton. The topic, "Escalation Clauses in Cross-Border Dispute Resolution: Why Your Client Wants Mediation," drew interest from the local media. "Even in a legal market where clients are eager to avoid the heavy costs of litigation, broaching the option of mediation can be tricky for outside lawyers," wrote Monika Gonzalez Mesa of the Daily Business Review. "Some fear bringing it up will make them or their case appear weak. Others may wonder if a faster, less adversarial approach could mean a smaller recovery for their client­—and fewer billable hours for their firm."

Carl Schwait, an Upchurch Watson White & Max mediator based in North Central Florida, recently received The Florida Bar’s G. Kirk Haas Humanitarian Award at the Bar’s annual convention, in Boca Raton. Mr. Schwait, a mediator since 2015, had retired from active litigation and as a senior and managing partner for Dell Graham, P.A. in Gainesville. He also has just retired as a member of The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors, which he has served since 2005.

During the June 23, 2017, meeting of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section at The Florida Bar Annual Convention in Boca Raton, mediator Robert A. "Bob" Cole was inducted as section chair. Bob, who has been a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator since 2010 and a UWWM shareholder since 2012, has been active not only with the ADR Section but also as a current board member of the Florida Chapters of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a national ABOTA board representative for the Jacksonville Chapter. He explained a few of his goals for The Florida Bar ADR Section.

BOCA RATON, Fla. (June 19, 2017) -- Ricardo Cata, a Miami-based mediator/arbitrator for Upchurch Watson White & Max, has organized and will moderate a continuing legal education program for The Florida Bar Annual Convention, set to begin here Wednesday afternoon. Six speakers, "true heavyweights from the corporate world," will be on the panel for "Escalation Clauses in Cross-Border Dispute Resolution:  Why Your Client Wants Mediation," a discussion presented by The Bar's International Law Section from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday.

Super Lawyers has listed five panel members of Upchurch Watson White White & Max for 2017, including, for the first time, Lawrence Kolin, a Central Florida-based mediator and arbitrator.

As part of The Jacksonville Bar Association's ADR Practitioners Committee, Robert A. "Bob" Cole -- a shareholder and mediator with Upchurch Watson White & Max -- is an organizer of the 11th Annual Northeast Florida CME Seminar for Mediators, for which UWWM Principal Terrence M. "Terry" White will speak. The seminar, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, 2017, at Florida Coastal School of Law (Room 585) is eligible for up to 8.0 hours of CME (Continuing Mediator Education), including 5.0 Ethics, 2.0 Domestic Violence, 1.0 Diversity and 1.0 General credit. Terry will speak on the topic "Special Issues in Commercial and Business Mediations … Is There a Role for Humor in the Process?" from 11:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Arthur Garcia Jr. attended on behalf of Upchurch Watson White and Max and as a former association president, and the event was among a few occasions in May for which he has represented UWWM.

Mediator Albert R. "Al" Tetrault told us recently that he has been appointed by Florida Bar President Michael J. Higer to serve on the Aviation Law Committee, beginning July 1, 2017. "I look forward to serving and providing counsel regarding proposed changes impacting aviation law in Florida," Al said. His term lasts for one year, but he can be re-appointed each year until May 2025. 

Don Weidner, a UWWM mediator and dean emeritus of Florida State University College of Law, is keeping his academic skills in shape, not only in the classroom but also in publishing explanatory articles and presenting continuing legal education programs.