Mediator Resume

Recognized as one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Pennsylvania. Over 30 years of experience, including at an Am Law 100 law firm, conducting jury and non-jury trials, handling Commercial Litigation in state and federal courts and before administrative bodies. Experienced in: 1) Fee Disputes; 2) Commercial Real Estate, Construction, and General Commercial Litigation; and 3) Franchises and Disputes Involving the Sale or Merger of Businesses and Corporate Representatives' Fiduciary Duties. Multiple cases published in Law360. Past Fellow in Litigation Counsel of America, a by-invitation-only organization of the nation's top trial lawyers.

The Axelrod Firm PC - President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

ADR Attorney: Arbitrator, Mediator, Special Master, Receiver

President/ Chief Executive Officer, The Axelrod Firm, PC, 2007-Present; Attorney, Comroe Hing LLP (disbanded), 2003-2007; Attorney, Kittredge Donley Elson Fullem & Embick LLP (disbanded), 2003; Attorney, Schiffrin & Barroway LLP (disbanded), 2002; Attorney, Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley LLP (now Blank Rome), 1999-2002 (gave the Firm 4-weeks' notice before leaving); Attorney, McCarter & English LLP, 1997-1999; Attorney, Dunn Haase Sullivan Mallon Cherner & Broadt P.C. (disbanded), 1994-1997; Law Clerk, Offices of the Hon. Sandra Mazer Moss (Ret.) - Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, 1993-1994.

1) Fee Disputes Experienced in fee disputes. Served as arbitrator in multiple fee disputes including multiple Large, Complex Commercial Disputes, including for attorney's fees and broker fees. Served as arbitrator in a Large, Complex Dispute between a financial advisory company and one of its former advisors. Experienced in assessing the value of a book of business. 2) Commercial Real Estate, Construction, and General Commercial Litigation Experienced with disputes regarding alleged design defects and construction defects. Served as arbitrator in a Large, Complex Dispute involving underlying multimillion dollar construction defect and design claims. Handled commercial cases covered in Law360 including: a) Successful defense of a major health care company in a nearly $200 million-dollar claim; b) Successful prosecution of an over $1 million debt; and c) Handled a multimillion dollar derivative action. Experienced in trade secrets, misappropriation, and fiduciary duty disputes, non-compete, non-solicitation claims, misrepresentation, and fraud claims. Also experienced in complex multi-party matters, title issues, mortgage, and other loan disputes, escrow issues, indemnification claims, and title claims. Experienced Receiver over the assets of corporations and partnerships. Presided as an arbitrator in a multimillion dollar e-Discovery dispute. Experienced in airline disputes including involving charter airline companies, including with brokers and vendors, including regarding the sales of engines, airplane parts, and aircraft seals. Tried an AIR21 case involving airline whistleblowers. Served as arbitrator in an over $25 million dispute between a charter airline and its broker who brought customers to the airline. 3) Franchises and Disputes Involving the Sale or Merger of Businesses Experienced in matters involving franchises in multiple industries including with restaurant franchises and cleaning company franchises. Presided as arbitrator in multiple franchise disputes. *Industry Familiarity* Real estate, construction, aviation, health care -- medical, dentists, and physicians (in billing disputes), banks (in residential mortgage disputes), financial advisors, brokers, law firms, commercial cleaning, and the restaurant and hospitality industries.

Appointed Judge Pro Tempore (JPT) / Settlement Master by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Commerce Court. Regularly assist parties in fully and completely resolving their disputes. Settle approximately 85% of cases which includes cases in which the parties were ordered to appear and were not prepared to begin settlement negotiations.

See above under the heading, "Experience." Mediated a wide variety of commercial disputes including the following select types of cases: 1. Real estate and real commercial property issues including those surrounding title insurance, foreclosure actions, mortgages, mechanics’ lien claims, and claims for property damage; 2. Disputes between corporate shareholders and other business “divorces”; 3. Insurance coverage issues; 4. Franchise disputes between franchisors and franchisees with related trade secrets and misappropriation disputes; 5. Trade secrets, misappropriation, and fiduciary duty disputes, non-compete, non-solicitation claims, misrepresentation, and fraud claims; and 6. Discovery disputes including e-Discovery disputes.

Effective, open approach, assisting the parties in reaching a resolution in an efficient manner. Provide the parties with written mediation procedures. Offer the parties the opportunity to agree in advance of the Pre-Mediation Conference upon such things as the date their mediation memoranda will be due, the length of the memoranda, and whether the memoranda will be exchanged. Hold a Pre-Mediation Conference to discuss the background of the case and issues in it with the parties, and set the Mediation Briefing Schedule. Thoroughly and carefully review the parties’ paperwork, in advance, coming prepared to mediations with both a plan and questions for the parties. While coming prepared, will also listen carefully, remaining flexible and open to the possibilities, taking care to ensure that the parties are heard, their points are made, and that they are carefully guided toward a resolution. Keep the parties' emotions down and their flexibility and cooperation up. Such work is the subject of a cover story in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Magazine entitled, “Unshakable.”

Experienced with eDiscovery, electronically stored information (ESI) issues, and data hosting, including with Relativity. Experienced in using online platforms including Zoom and LoopUp, for hearings and conferences. Have helped a number of parties, and their counsel, successfully navigate through technical difficulties with online hearings. Experienced in business and project management, payroll systems, profit and loss, and other accounting records, time, and billing software systems, and other law firm and business management software. Have owned law firm since 2007 and work with such programs regularly.

Temple Law School (JD -1993); Brandeis University (BA, Economics, Cum Laude -1990).

Admitted to the Bar: Pennsylvania (1993), New Jersey (1994).

National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA), Past Faculty Member. Taught "Next Level Trial Techniques"; Temple Law Alumni Association (TLAA), Past President; Philadelphia Bar Association, Investigative Division of the Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention, Past Member. Led teams investigating those seeking to become judges.

Publications: "Why Arbitrate? Why Not? The Benefits of Arbitrating Commercial Disputes," Business Law Today, American Bar Association (2025); “Unshakable: Sheryl Axelrod is at her best when emotions run high,” Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Magazine, Cover Story (2024). Speaking Engagements: Panelist on, "How to Win at Arbitration" (2025) and “Business Continuity During the #COVID19 Pandemic … and How Alternative Dispute Resolution Can Help!,” (2020). Presenter on, "Becoming a AAA Arbitrator and a Judge Pro Tempore / Settlement Master" (2022).

Only hotel and meals will be charged within 20 miles of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, within 20 miles of Moorestown, NJ, and within Delaware. In other locations, travel will also be charged.

Hourly Rate: Not provided Daily Rate: $4,200.00 Study Rate: $525.00/hr Cancellation: Not provided Cancellation Period: Not provided Comment: If legal research needs to be done, the right to have a senior attorney do it at the same hourly rate provided, is reserved. Travel: Only out-of-pocket hotel (standard), travel (standard airfare or rail), and reasonable meal expenses will be charged. No cancellation fee. Same rates and comments for large complex cases.

English; Spanish

United States of America

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania