Mediator Resume

Assistant Attorney General of Texas-opinion committee and litigation section, briefing clerk for federal judge Joe Ingraham Houston TX, Associate Municipal Court Judge City of Houston TX, state district judge of two courts in Harris County TX: 309th Family District Court and 269th Civil District Court; founder and chair of Zimmerman Axelrad law firm which joined Spencer Fane, LLP as of counsel. Have arbitrated over 500 cases and chaired panels and served solo and int'l tribunals; general civil litigation including, contracts, Jones act, construction, health law, environmental law, banking, malpractice: medical, legal and accounting; TX board certified Family Law; credentialed advance mediator; outstanding 50 year lawyer TX Bar Foundation.

Spencer Fane, LLP - Of Counsel

Of Counsel Attorney, Former State District Texas Judge (2 different benches: Family and Civil trial); Arbitrator and Mediator; recipient in 2025 of Outstanding 50 year lawyer State Bar of TX Foundation, also Outstanding Mediator Texas Association of Credentialed Mediators, Outstanding Mediator of the year State Bar of Texas ADR Section; Fellow in: College of International Arbitrators, International Academy of Mediators and College of Commercial Arbitrators; member of AAA-Complex Case Panel; pre-eminent rating Martindale Hubbell; Chambers Band 2 Mediator; past chair of the State Bar of Texas ADR Section, Houston Bar Association ADR Section; recipient of Outstanding Associate Professor-Contracts South TX College of Law-Houston.

Of Counsel, Spencer Fane LLP, 2019 - Present; Shareholder/Founder, Zimmerman Axelrad Meyer Stern & Wise P.C., 1985 - 2019; Board of Directors of NYSE company and audit committee chair, 1986 - 1994; State District Judge, Harris County Texas - 309th and 269th District Courts, 1980 - 1984; Adjunct Professor of Law (Contracts), South Texas College of Law, 1981 - 1984; General Counsel, NYSE Company, 1969 - 1980; Assistant Attorney General, Texas, 1968; Briefing Clerk, Federal District Judge, 1967.

Former Judge two different trial courts: family and civil courts handling thousands of cases of various types and subject matter. As general corporate counsel and vice president and secretary of AMEX company handled acquisitions, mergers, business reorganizations, securities issues and trademarks, patents and copyrights, leases, OSHA, and human resource issues. Private practice includes civil trial, probate, banking, commercial, multi-state litigation, securities, construction, business litigation, employment, trademark, and family law issues. Past director of a national bank. Past director and audit chair of NYSE company. State Bar Committee for one of Houston TX improper practice of law; previously adjunct professor of law-subject Contracts South TX College of Law; previously faculty AA White Mediation certification course University of Houston Law Center' previously faculty American Bar Association Advanced Trial Family Law held in Houston, TX.; board certified by the State Board of Legal Specialization-Family Law; involved in over 3000 mediations and 500 arbitrations including ICC Tribunals and AAA panels. General Counsel to medical clinic involved in business organization of Clinic, medical building and hospital creation; and dialysis facilities; drafted numerous doctors' employment contracts; involved with buy-sell agreements of medical parties; arbitrated multi-million $ dispute between accounting firm and hospital . Sole arbitrator re Crypto Currency case; panel chair for Oil and Gas Storm Uri damages.

Former Texas district judge (Civil and Family – two different courts), chair of the HBA and State Bar of Texas ADR sections, mediated over 2000 cases over 24 years of experience, including: employment, probate, shareholder and corporate governance disputes, landlord tenant, architect malpractice, legal malpractice, health care providers and insurer disputes, patent disputes medical malpractice, nursing home disputes, banking, appellate cases, construction, condemnation, intellectual property, governmental, torts, Oil & Gas, church governance suits, contracts, family law and other areas. Recipient of Harris County Dispute Resolution Center Award for excellence, Evans Award from South Texas College of Law Dispute Resolution. Resolved Houston Symphony Orchestra strike, two high tension City of Houston cases, resolved lock-out of Toyota Center by group of minority vendors, cases on malpractice from the Court of Appeals, trade secret case from Arizona Supreme Court, often appointed by judges to resolve cases, certification as distinguished credentialed mediator (highest level) by the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association; also accredited by College of Distinguished Neutrals.

Most of the time the use of the general and break-out rooms for the caucus method is the most effective unless there are special hostile or power imbalance problems among the parties. In some cases, the Harvard Negotiation Method has been fruitful in which the parties and their attorneys remained at the negotiation table throughout until a settlement was reached. Both are effective depending upon the case and the parties. The use of a co-mediator has been found to be effective in some cases where one mediator maybe an expert in a field of law and the mediator is very seasoned in dispute resolution and through the quarterback skills of the mediator there is a coalescence of these two experts that bring about the resolution desired. At times a directive approach is helpful where direct statements assessing risk, discussing pluses and minuses of the facts and law are helpful, while at other times the Socratic method of asking questions to obtain from the party and the lawyer answers that one would find helpful to resolve the cases. Being certified in Transformative mediation, this system also has proven successful.

Proficient in online platforms of zoom and WebX, some use of GoToMeeting. Conducted over 100 zoom meetings. Participated in many multiparty disputes with zoom, online recordings, and streaming transcription of testimony in real time. Taken courses in cybersecurity protection and use of AI in law sponsored by AAA, in-house CLEs, State Bar of Texas and Houston Bar Association; taken several CLE courses on AI

University of Houston (JD, Editor of Houston Law Review and Outstanding Editor Award, Am Jur Scholarship award-1967; BS-1964)

Admitted to the Bar: Texas, 1967; U.S. District Court: Southern and Western Districts of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court

State Bar of Texas (ADR Section, Council Member and Former Chair); Houston Bar Association (Outstanding Committee Member; Family Law Section, Former Chair; Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, Council Member and Former Chair); American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (Fellow); International Academy of Mediators (Fellow and Past President); American College of Civil Trial Mediators (Fellow); American Bar Association (Family Law Litigation National College, Teacher); Texas Association of Attorney-Mediators; Collaborative Law Institute of Texas (Member); International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (Panelist); University of Houston Foundation (Director and Vice President); University of Houston Law Foundation (Director); Houston Law Review Foundation (Director; ADR Section, Chair); Texas Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (Distinguished Fellow); International Association of Mediators (Past President and Distinguished Fellow); Charter Member, Institute for Responsible Dispute Resolution; Distinguished Mediator; Texas Mediator Credentialing Association; Houston Bar Association, ADR Section - elected Chair of the Council; Fellow, College of Commercial Arbitrators; American Arbitration Association - Roster of Mediators and Roster of Complex Arbitrations Fellow, College of International Arbitrators; Fellow in Intl Academy of Mediators, and certificated Distinguished Mediator TX Mediators Credentialing Association; Pre-eminent rating Martindale Hubbell; Chambers-Band 2 Mediator

2019-2026-Faculty at Manousso Mediation & Arbitration LLC 2025-Presenter at Houston Bar Association-ADR Section-Changes in ADR Over Last 20 Years

Harris county Texas, and surrounding counties and as needed for special circumstances.

Hourly Rate: Not provided Daily Rate: $5,400.00 Study Rate: $675.00/hr Cancellation: $4,000.00/Day Cancellation Period: 21 Days Comment: Multi-party cases and complex cases maybe up-charged. Full fee unless canceled 21 days in advance. Hearing rate is for an 8-hour day 9:00-5:00. No travel time for services in a 90 mile radius of Houston, TX and reduced charge for travel time if multi-party or multi-day mediation or arbitration.

English

United States of America

Houston, Texas