Panel Debate on Nonbinding Arbitration

12–1 PM Live GoToWebinar by Anne Kevlin, Esq., Chardean M. Hill, and Cristina Magee. Course number 6743 is approved for 1.0 General CLE credit and 1.0 Civil Trial certification credit. ADR Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

Wonder why some courts order cases to BOTH mediation and non-binding arbitration? Do you think one or both are a waste of time and money? Join us at noon on Dec. 20 as we do a side-by-side comparison of the pros and cons of each of these dispute resolution processes, what is expected of neutrals during each process, including ethical considerations stemming from court orders mandating both processes, and share suggested best practices.

Our distinguished panelists will discuss these topics and questions:

1. 1. Describe the greatest benefit of non-binding arbitration
   2. Describe the greatest benefit of mediation
   3. What is the most glaring disadvantage of non-binding arbitration
   4. What is the most glaring disadvantage of mediation
   5. If this doesn’t come up in the discussion of the above, why do some attorneys view non-binding arbitration as a waste of time and money?
   6. What ethical considerations arise in hybrid orders where both processes are ordered by a court – discuss MEAC considerations
   7. Should one of these processes be conducted before the other? Does it matter?– which and why
   8. Describe the best practices imposed on a Neutral with respect to each process
   9. Describe the best types of cases to use NBA?  Best suited for mediation?

Anne Kevlin, Esq. is a Florida Supreme Court certified civil circuit and county court mediator and a qualified Florida arbitrator. She is certified in Mediation and Conflict Management by the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation. Anne brings more than 30 years of legal and dispute resolution expertise to her mission to help parties avoid the uncertainty, risk, and expense of litigation.

Anne has litigated and mediated insurance disputes since becoming a licensed Florida attorney in 1992. She has focused her career on liability, injury, and property insurance disputes, including complex policy coverage issues, and on personal and commercial property litigation. Anne holds an “AV Preeminent” attorney rating with Martindale-Hubbell, and is recognized by Best Lawyers in America for her work as an Insurance Law attorney.

Anne is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law, where she served on the Iowa Law Review and the Trial Advocacy Board. In addition to Florida, Anne is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts. She received her master’s degree in management in 2011 from the Harvard Extension School. Anne is a proud member of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

Cristina Magee, Esq., Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil, Appellate and County Mediator, and Qualified Arbitrator, has over two decades of experience representing corporate and individual defendants, insurance companies and injured parties.  That experience includes a decade-plus as inside claims counsel for a major insurance company, resolving numerous exposures, primarily via mediation and negotiated settlements.  She is the founding principal for Brevard Mediation Services, LLC, established in 2011, and restricts her practice to mediation, arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution.  She also appears on the roster of Mediators for the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida.   Ms. Magee is a member of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, and a diplomate of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.   In addition to Chairing the ADR Section, she has served on the Executive Council for the ADR Section of the Florida Bar, where she received the ADR Legend award, is a Master in her local Inn of Court chapter, and proudly views the co-creation and establishment of the ADR Section of the Florida Bar’s Mentoring Academy for Mediators as a crowning achievement.  She has been designated as an Expert Service Provider for the Insurance Industry by AMBest annually since 2017.

Chardean Mavis Hill, Esquire is a sole-practitioner and owner of CMH Law & Dispute Resolution, LLC located in Brandon, Florida. She opened her own firm in May 2019, where her focus is on alternative dispute resolution, primarily mediations and arbitrations. She also does legal ethics defense and risk management for Florida lawyers, and represents applicants for admission before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. She is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil, Family, and County Court Mediator and a Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator. She has mediated or arbitrated disputes involving small claims, landlord-tenant, contract & indebtedness, insurance subrogation claims, commercial evictions, personal injury, probate, guardianship, first-party and third-party insurance claims, and hurricane damage. She also lectures on a variety of ethics topics for various local bar associations and law schools.