Shelley H. Leinicke, familiar throughout the state for her 39 years as an appellate and general trial attorney, officiallylaunched her mediation career with Upchurch Watson White & Max on Friday, April 1, 2016. She plans to establish a statewide practice focused on resolving disputes involving products liability, medical malpractice, legal malpractice, construction litigation, bad faith, officer and director liability, premises liability, automobile negligence, wrongful death and other issues. Other litigation experience that should translate well to her mediation practice includes work in the areas of aviation accidents, insurance policy interpretation, negligence, personal injury, automobile liability, and patent and trademark law.

The Jacksonville Bar Association Commercial Litigation Committee recently hosted a CLE luncheon at Holland & Knight's downtown office featuring UWWM shareholder/mediator Robert A. "Bob" Cole and Bryan R. Rendzio of Franson, Iseley & Rendzio, P.A. The topic of the free CLE seminar was "Ten Cornerstones for Building Your Mediation Advocacy."

Ricardo Cata, a Miami-based mediator with Upchurch Watson White & Max, increasingly finds himself at the center of academic and practical discussions about international commercial dispute resolution -- at a time when Miami is being touted and is growing as a hub for international arbitration. First among Ricardo's current engagements is his organizational service to the 2016 International Litigation, Arbitration & Transactions (ILAT) Conference at the city's Conrad Hotel on Friday, Feb. 26.

Kimberly Sands, a principal with Upchurch Watson White & Max Mediation Group, has been invited back to speak at the annual Windstorm Insurance (WIND) Conference and plans to tell "The Truth About Bad Faith and Extra-Contractual Litigation" for breakout sessions on days 2 and 3 of the four-day event. Ms. Sands -- along with fellow attorney faculty members Donna DeVaney Stockham of Stockham Law Group, P.A.; Gerald Albrecht of Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig; and Finley T. Harckham of Anderson Kill -- will present "a multi-discipline, 360 degree perspective of bad faith litigation." Organizers say the goal of the program is "to provide the attendees with the bad-faith knowledge necessary to effectively represent their clients. Attendees will leave the program with a better understanding of how bad faith affects the claims they are handling for their clients, which will lead to better results and greater success."