Mediator Resume

Full-time mediator and arbitrator resolving business disputes large and small, as well as healthcare, employment, and real estate controversies nationwide. Parties and peers describe the approach as fostering collegiality and professionalism throughout both adversarial and collaborative proceedings. 31-year career began as an advocate for employees in New York (primarily in AAA arbitrations) from 1994-97, then transitioned to management-side employment and business litigation in Arizona from 1998-2024. Recent experience with Pennsylvania litigation and transactions. Hybrid litigator/neutral from 2021-24. Contributor to continuing education programs and publications, most recently involving real estate and ADR.

Tricia Schafer Dispute Resolution PLLC - Mediator, Arbitrator

Arbitrator, Mediator

Founder, Tricia Schafer Dispute Resolution PLLC (2023-present); Solo commercial litigation practice (2011-2024); Attorney, Mariscal Weeks McIntyre & Friedlander PA (2005-2011); Attorney, Allen Price Padden & Sanders PC (2004); Staff Attorney, Arizona Court of Appeals (2003); Of Counsel, Coppersmith Gordon Schermer Owens & Nelson PLC (1998-2002); Staff Counsel, New York State Public Employees Federation AFL-CIO (1994-1997). Non-law-related part-time ventures: healthcare/fitness training (2003-2021); program director of a negotiation training institute (2015-2018); executive director of a professional development organization (2013-2019); co-founder of a nonprofit partnering with municipalities to host community wellness events (2012-2015).

31 years as an advocate (and, since 2021, as a neutral) on all sides of large and complex cases and commercial matters, including, but not limited to: Technology/AI Renewable energy Real estate Labor/employment (both employees and employers) Contracts Intellectual property Licensing Business torts Finance/Securities Agency Fraud (common-law and securities fraud) Insurance Healthcare (payor/provider, pharmaceutical, data privacy) Representative Matters: Co-developer dispute involving utility-scale renewable energy projects. Medical partnership dispute over ownership of ambulatory surgery center, including interests in real estate, distributions, and return of capital. Residential developer dispute with homebuilders regarding construction timing and critical path. Receivership arising out of investor’s dispute with residential and commercial developers. Disputes between entities and departing professionals in law firms/medical practices/fitness industry. Asset purchase agreement disputes, including sale of medical practice and sale of laundromat business. Healthcare payment and reimbursement disputes across multiple specialties, most recently involving gastroenterology, podiatry, ophthalmology, oral/maxillofacial surgery, and addiction treatment. Dispute between international corporation and family-owned manufacturer regarding exclusivity and intellectual property rights. Insurance claim by former public official regarding whether malfeasance occurred in course and scope of duties. Franchise disputes involving national restaurant chain and hospitality chain. Small business and partnership/shareholder disputes, including "business divorce" and the unwinding of financial obligations and sale/distribution of jointly-held assets. Disputes between homeowners associations and individual unit owners, as well as third-party contractors. Wage/hour and regulatory compliance issues involving an international transportation provider. Contract dispute between technology provider and construction contractor regarding IT services and construction-industry software. Employment discrimination matters within financial institutions. Early career (1994-1997): labor union staff attorney, representing public sector professional, scientific, and technical services employees (e.g., doctors, nurses, pharmacists, engineers) throughout the State of New York.

Full-time neutral resolving business, healthcare, employment, and real estate disputes online and in-person nationwide. Judge Pro Tempore in Maricopa County, Arizona Superior Court; conducting settlement conferences of civil, commercial, and probate matters. Mediator and Arbitrator, Arizona REALTORS Buyer-Seller Dispute Resolution Program. Co-mediator in an ongoing municipal/tribal dispute resolution process. Former business owner and former program director of a worldwide negotiation training institute, focusing on negotiation skills for lawyers and business professionals.

Procedural issues: Adept at mediation during the early/litigation-avoidance stage, as well as after litigation commences, for both two-party and multi-party controversies. Trained and experienced in the procedural safeguards necessary when mediating with unrepresented participants. Proficient in navigating the dynamic between represented participants and their counsel, as well as when multiple participants with potentially diverging interests are represented by the same attorney. Recent substantive issues handled as a mediator include: Business dissolution and allocation of assets. Insurance coverage. Asset purchase agreement interpretation and compliance. Municipal/tribal dispute regarding infrastructure, utilities, public services, and externalities associated with casino patronage. Homeowners’ association controversies. Commission dispute between roofing contractor and former sales representatives. Commercial lending and securities fraud. Personal injury/medical malpractice. Employment discrimination. Property damage claims related to vintage collector vehicles. Probate/estate disputes between and among personal representative, specific devisees, and residual heirs.

"Disarming" and "relational" are among the descriptors that colleagues and participants have shared over the years to describe my mediation style. As an active member of the legal community, I am known for connecting people and concepts to create outcomes that transcend the sum of their parts. My evaluative method is derived from decades as a commercial litigator and my degree in economics. My approachable demeanor, honed over two decades of involvement in the lawyer wellness space, facilitates connections, puts people at ease, and builds trust. As the former program director for a nationally-renowned negotiation training institute, I recognize bargaining tactics, patterns, and strategies, and leverage these and other nuances to empower mediation participants to resolve disputes. My oral and written communications with each participant's representative prior to mediation day empower everyone with knowledge about what to expect and the sequence of the conversation. I strive to minimize downtime in mediations by giving parties tasks or specific topics to consider when I am engaging with counterparties. I bring tenacity to the mediation process. While I am efficient and respectful of everyone's time, I am committed to facilitating the exploration of all potential avenues for settlement. Sometimes that means exceeding the scheduled duration of our session. I have the stamina for the long hours that are at times needed to properly negotiate and document a deal. I strongly encourage the participants and their representatives to share that commitment, as long as our time together remains productive.

Regularly utilize mainstream videoconferencing platforms (Zoom, Teams, LoopUp, etc.) as both host and participant for mediations, arbitrations, and judicial settlement conferences. Adept at breakout room management and screensharing. Proficient and diplomatic when guiding parties and witnesses who may be new to the procedures for testifying and displaying exhibits online. Conversant in ESI management and terminology. Presenter and author on e-discovery, data security, and AI topics. Fluent in all Microsoft Office applications. Managed secure technology systems for own law firm for over a decade, including data storage, email infrastructure, and website creation/maintenance. Claude.ai and Westlaw AI subscriber and regular responsible user. Completed Clearbrief Academy, May 2025.

Georgetown University Law Center (JD - 1994) University of California, Berkeley (BA, Economics - 1991) 40-hour mediation certifications: Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University (2024) American Institute of Mediation (2021) Center for Conflict Resolution (2020)

Admitted to the Bar: Arizona (1998), Pennsylvania (2024).

ABA Dispute Resolution Section Fellow (2020-2022); ABA ADR Section (2020-Present); City of Scottsdale Judicial Appointments Advisory Board (2020-2026); Maricopa County Bar Association Litigation Section Board (2021-2023 and 2026-Present); Scottsdale Bar Association Board (2019-Present); IDEA Health & Fitness Association (2004-Present); Horace Rumpole Inn of Court (2022-Present); Pennsylvania Bar Association - committees on ADR, professional liability, and civility in the profession (2025-Present); State Bar of Arizona - various section memberships since 2000, including employment law, business law, ADR, real estate, and technology; United Steelworkers member (1994-1997, in connection with labor union employment).

Speaker, “Mediation of Real Estate Disputes,” State Bar of Arizona, 7/2026. Speaker, “Do the Math: How Numerical Literacy Can Enhance Your Mediation,” State Bar of Arizona, 6/2026. Speaker, "Ethics Matters in Mediation," Maricopa County Bar Association, 6/2026. Speaker, "From Adversaries to Agreement: Transforming Real Estate Controversies Through Mediation," State Bar of Arizona, 9/2025. Guest Lecturer on Mediation, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University, Civil Litigation Experience courses, 3/2025 and scheduled 3/2026. Speaker, "Feeling Heard: Conflict Resolution in Vehicle Noise Disputes," Acoustical Society of America, 11/2024. Tricia Schafer and Kent D.B. Sinclair, “Generative AI for Real Estate Lawyers,” State Bar of Arizona publication, 7/2023. Co-Chair of three-day program, “Real Estate Rollercoaster: Strategies in a Turbulent Economy With Dwindling Resources,” State Bar of Arizona, 7/2023. Panelist, “A case study of the legal, administrative, and legislative aspects of veterinary care,” Horace Rumpole Inn of Court, 3/2023. Moderator, “What Every Business Lawyer Should Know about Business Insurance,” Maricopa County Bar Association, December 2021. Panelist, Complex Civil Litigation and Tier 3 Cases in Commercial Court, Maricopa County Bar Association, 10/2021. Co-Author, ABA Dispute Resolution Program State Survey, October 2021.

No charge for travel time. Parties will not be charged for travel expenses for proceedings held in Arizona or San Diego County, California.

Hourly Rate: $550.00 Daily Rate: Not provided Study Rate: $550.00/hr Cancellation: Not provided Cancellation Period: Not provided Comment: No cancellation fees. No travel fees.

English

United States of America

Scottsdale, Arizona