Thanks to all who participated in UWWM’s "Lean In"-inspired luncheon on July 29, 2015, at UWWM’s Maitland office. Partner Kimberly Sands and Shareholder Michelle Jernigan presented an introduction to The Grit Project developed by the ABA Section on Litigation, Women in Litigation. Upchurch Watson White & Max is in its second year of CLE programs designed to explore issues of advocacy and professional development for those who wish to improve their litigation skills and the business of practicing law through research, shared experience, and recommended strategies.

One of Florida’s first Supreme Court-certified mediators, A. Michelle Jernigan, also has a decades-long interest in psychology and the brain. In a Webinar sponsored by the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, she will discuss the basics of brain structure and function in clear, simple terms — along with practical ways to apply this knowledge at the mediation table. Ms. Jernigan, a shareholder with Upchurch Watson White & Max, will present "Using Brain Science for Better Mediations" at noon Tuesday, July 28.

Lawrence Kolin, a mediator and arbitrator with Upchurch Watson White & Max, has been invited to speak about streamlining electronic discovery at the Masters Conference for Legal Professionals on Tuesday, July 21, in New York City. "Whether you’re dealing with e-discovery in a new, socially networked world, find your company expanding globally and thus facing international discovery issues, or planning for the future of e-discovery in your firm or company, you know there’s a divide between what is in practice today and where your firm needs to be in the near future," according to conference organizers. "Legal professionals must develop strategies for spanning this e-discovery divide before it expands further across traditional borders, whether physical or technical."

Upchurch Watson White & Max recently announced mediators Judith A. Bass, Dominic Brandy, Jeffrey M. Fleming, George M. "Marty" Van Tassel and William Zei, who joined Upchurch Watson White & Max Mediation Group during a two-year period of growth for the Florida- and Alabama-based firm, are new shareholders. "This step has been taken to recognize the significant contributions being made by each to the firm through their vibrant practices, their unflagging support of the firm’s mission, and the esteem with which they are held by their clients and the legal community," said John Upchurch, a founder of the alternative dispute resolution group and its CEO.

MAITLAND, Fla. (June 10, 2015) - Jeffrey M. Fleming, who has been a mediator with Upchurch Watson White & Max since June 2014, is among five new shareholders the growing firm named recently. Mr. Fleming is certainly well-known within the local legal community. He began to develop his mediation practice in 2013 after spending 11 years on the bench; he had served as a judge for Orange County from 2002 until he was appointed a Ninth Circuit judge in 2006. He was both appointed and then elected to each post. He also has served as an associate judge for the Fifth District Court of Appeal.

Ricardo J. Cata, bilingual mediator with Upchurch Watson White & Max, was a speaker on June 4, 2015, at a mediation seminar held by the ICC Mexico, at the Escuela Libre de Derecho, Mexico City. The seminar, from June 3 to 5, was titled “Taller Practico: Mediación, Dispute Boards y Peritage: Otros Caminos Para Resolver Conflictos”.