On December 11, LSW founding partner John Siffert will moderate a panel of distinguished experts discussing practical guidance for navigating court-ordered mediation. 

Mediation requires a shift from adversarial advocacy to strategic problem-solving. As courts increasingly turn to mediation to manage growing caseloads, understanding the distinct dynamics of court-administered processes is essential.

Panelists will explore best practices for advancing clients’ interests within the unique framework of court-ordered mediation—including confidentiality concerns, ethical duties, and effective collaboration with opposing counsel and mediators. The program will also highlight common pitfalls that can derail mediation and offer actionable “do’s and don’ts” to maximize success. 

Please click here to register for the webinar.

The Topics: 

• Goals of Mediation & Litigators’ Mindset Shift
• Court-Administered Mediation: Process, Expectations & Ethics
• Domestic & International Court-Mandated Mediation
• Litigators’ Techniques to Advance Client Interests
• Maximizing Case Resolution Success
• Client Perspective: Mediation vs. Trial “Victory”
• The Takeaway/Elevator Speech

 

The Panelists:

 

• Dean Leslie has been the Circuit Mediator for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since 2017.  He previously served as a Senior Settlement Coordinator for the New York State Supreme Court. Mr. Leslie is also an Adjunct Professor at New York Law School.

 

• Myrna Barakat Friedman is a Commercial Arbitrator and Mediator with an active international and commercial practice. She is the President and Founding Member of the Association of Commercial and Transactional ADR Professionals (ACT-ADR); and the Chair of one the ICC’s mediation committees. In her prior life, Myrna was an M&A and securities lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell, and served as Chief M&A Counsel and Managing Director at CIT Group.

 

• Robert Davidson, a former partner in a major international law firm, is the Executive Director of JAMS Arbitration Practice. He has been mediating and arbitrating full-time since 2004. He has mediated virtually every type of dispute and is listed in Chambers as one of the country’s premier international arbitrators.

 

• Erin E. Gleason Alvarez is a commercial mediator and arbitrator. She serves the AAA’s Commercial Mediation and Arbitration Panels and the United Nations Global Mediation Panel. She is a Distinguished Neutral on the CPR Dispute Resolution’s Panel, among others.  Erin mediates and arbitrates high-stakes commercial and cross-border conflicts. Erin also serves as Director of the Mediation Practicum at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. She also teaches mediation advocacy at St. John’s University School of Law.

 

• Sara E. Moss has worn many hats as a lawyer and business executive. After her federal clerkship for Constance Baker Motley, she served as an AUSA in the SDNY. She was in private practice at Davis Polk and a partner at a boutique firm. She transitioned to the business world and became General Counsel at Pitney Bowes and the Estee Lauder Companies, where she became Vice Chairman of the Board.

 

John Siffert has an active practice in alternative dispute resolution. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), a CIArb Accredited Mediator, and has been named to the National Roster of Commercial Arbitrators and the National Roster of Mediators of the American Arbitration Association. 

The webinar is hosted by the New York City Bar Association, which will provide Continuing Legal Education Credits to participants.