Let our mediators and arbitrators help resolve your disputes

ADR Practice Areas

  • Labor, Employment and Civil Rights

    Chris Shulman has extensive experience mediating and arbitrating disputes involving labor, employment, and civil rights claims under federal and Florida laws, including, without limitation:

    • Fair Labor Standards Act (requiring payment of overtime and a minimum wage)
    • Florida minimum wage laws
    • Equal Employment Opportunity laws (such as Title VII, ADEA, ADA, GINA, Fla. Civil Rights Act which, between them, prohibit discrimination based on: race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, retaliation for protected EEO conduct – also genetic information (federal) and marital status (Florida))
    • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (requiring most employers to provide up to 12 weeks’ unpaid leave per year to employees who’ve worked for the employer at least one year (and at least 1250 hours in the twelve months preceding leave) based on certain qualifying conditions; prohibiting interference with an employee’s FMLA rights or retaliation against an employee for engaging in protected FMLA conduct)
    • Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) (requiring most employers to protect the jobs of deployed service members in most cases)
    • Florida Worker’s Compensation Act (especially the provisions prohibit retaliation for making a claim for compensation or benefits)
    • Individual Employment Contract disputes (discharge or bonus/commission claims)
    • Union/Management Collective Bargaining disputes (grievance arbitration)
    • ADA Title II Public Accommodation claims
    • Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) claims

  • Property and Community Association Disputes

    Chris Shulman has extensive experience mediating or arbitrating disputes involving residential and commercial mortgage foreclosure actions, residential and commercial construction defect and warranty claims, Homeowner Association or Condominium Association disputes, title insurance claims, and real estate sales escrow disbursements.

  • Business, Contract and Collection Disputes

    Chris Shulman has substantial experience mediating or arbitrating disputes involving breach of contract and warranty claims, commercial loans and collections, and dissolution of partnerships, LLCs and closely-held corporations.

  • Consumer Protection

    Chris Shulman has substantial experience mediating and arbitrating disputes involving the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act, and other federal and state laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive acts or practices.

  • Insurance Claims

    Chris Shulman has substantial experience mediating and arbitrating disputes involving the following types of insurance claims: sinkhole and other casualty; personal injury.

  • Family and Domestic Partner Law

    Chris Shulman is certified as a Family Mediator, and mediates pre- and post-judgment divorce matters as well as domestic partner dissolutions.  He assists divorcing spouses or dissolving partners resolve disputes over: parental timesharing (what used to be known as “child custody”); equitable distribution of joint property and debts; arrangement for alimony, child support, or other support obligations; and any other matters the parties wish to address.  In the mediation process, you, the parties, are empowered to make these important decisions, decisions which will literally affect the rest of your lives, rather than having a judge, who may know nothing about what matters to you, make such decisions.

    If you and your spouse/partner are not represented by attorneys because you are trying to limit the expense of your divorce or dissolution, pro se mediation – i.e., divorce mediation without lawyers – may be the option for you.  If so, Chris recommends you check out TampaFriendlyDivorce.com.

  • Collaborative Law

    Collaborative law is an alternative to traditional, adversarial litigation, where both parties, and their lawyers, commit to working together over the course of several meetings to reach a negotiated resolution of their dispute.  With their respective counsel working together, the parties explore resolution through interest-based bargaining, rather than positional, win-lose negotiation.  The process is characterized by the parties sharing information transparently and hiring a single professional in any area(s) needed (such as finances, mental health, etc.) to render opinions and assistance to them both, rather than each of them hiring their own professional in these areas.   As a trained Collaborative Lawyer, Chris Shulman serves as the neutral facilitator in collaborative law processes.

Testimonials

  • "I used Chris Shulman today to mediate a difficult case and he did an excellent job bringing the matter to a successful resolution. I’m not a fan of many mediators but I strongly recommend using him."
    Orlando Board Certified Labor & Employment Lawyer; Partner, national labor and employment firm
  • “I have used Chris as a mediator for years and have been very pleased with the results. He has been able to drill down to the main issues in the dispute and helped get a lot of cases resolved.”
    Tampa Shareholder, international labor and employment law firm
  • “My Firm frequently hires Chris as a mediator. He has a no-nonsense approach, and is able to get the job done.”
    Tampa Employment Attorney
  • “Chris was appointed arbitrator in a complicated wage and hour dispute that culminated in a two day arbitration. His management of the case from inception through conclusion was proactive and efficient. Chris controlled the arbitration process in a fair, professional and expeditious manner. I highly recommend his services.”
    Tampa Board Certified Labor & Employment Lawyer; Partner, National Labor and Employment Practice Group, of national firm
  • “I have had the pleasure of working with Chris for several years, both as a management-side attorney and one who now represents claimants as well. Chris is fair, balanced and effective. His deep knowledge of employment law, coupled with his sense of humor, wit and charm, makes him a top-tier selection for any attorney needing a creative problem solver for the most difficult cases.”
    Orlando labor and employment lawyer
  • "I have had the pleasure of mediating with Chris Shulman on many occasions. He is an extremely effective and skilled mediator. Mr. Shulman works diligently to facilitate settlements between the parties. He routinely suggests creative and thoughtful approaches to dispute resolution. My clients consistently are grateful for the opportunity to work with Chris. I highly recommend Mr. Shulman and look forward to working with him in upcoming mediations."
    Labor and Employment attorney, Winter Park
  • "I have worked with Chris Shulman as a mediator in several cases. Each time, he has exhibited an even-handed empathy for the parties while engaging the parties with aggressive creativity. He is clearly enthusiastic about the mediation process, and I will use him whenever I have the opportunity."
    Management-side, Board Certified Labor & Employment Law attorney, Tampa
  • "Mr. Shulman seeks fair and creative resolutions in difficult litigation matters. I have found him to be a very effective mediator."
    Employment attorney, Tampa
  • “Mediator Chris Shulman is excellent. He is top notch and level headed. He has good common sense, understands emotion, and I will definitely use him again."
    In House Counsel for a large corp. w/internal mediation program.
  • “I appreciate Chris’ efforts, diligence, and hard work in a recent mediation he conducted.  I will definitely suggest using him in the future.”
    Tampa Board Certified Labor & Employment Lawyer

NOTICE:  All “In-Person” bookings will be subject to current federal, state, and local directives for scheduled location/date.  To avoid such concerns, we are happy to conduct mediations via video conference (or telephone conference), upon agreement of all of the parties (and, if required, Court approval).