Civil Trial Mediation
Civil Trial Background
All kinds of civil disputes fall in Alan’s mediation wheelhouse. Today, Alan has successfully mediated civil trial matters over contracts, fraud, real estate, construction and personal injuries.
Before turning to become a civil trial mediator, Alan had a varied litigation practice.
Alan has litigated everything from business fraud, to commercial disputes, to personal injuries, to DTPA and RICO violations. Partnership disputes and divorces were no stranger to Alan. He also defended a mechanical fabrication company against several claims for defective work.
Construction disputes also got Alan’s attention. In one, Alan represented a subcontractor on a highway project where a tunnel collapsed.
Alan even successfully defended against a proposed class action. Owner-operator truckers alleged that their trucking company was bilking them.
Non-compete and trade secret disputes were Alan’s bread-and-butter. He routinely prosecuted and defended against these claims.
In the five years Alan spent at a large firm, Alan extensively litigated disputes about real estate. That drove him deep into real estate title and heirship issues. Alan’s family has roots in real estate investment, so he took on the challenges of real estate litigation happily.
Property taxes came along with Alan’s territory. He also taught property tax professionals, like appraisal district and tax office staff, about the property tax system.
Those experiences have made Alan a balanced civil trial mediator.
Lessons learned
Litigation has taught Alan some lessons. All parties’ counsel will benefit from those when Alan serves as a civil trial mediator.
The most fundamental lesson came at the Walker County Courthouse. When Alan and his mentor pulled up to the courthouse, the mentor threw his gold F-150 into park. Alan grabbed the door pull – itching to pop open the door, jump out, run into the courtroom for his first hearing and kick some butt.
The mentor put up his hand, “Wait, let’s pray.”
Alan said to himself: “Great! I really respect this guy, and he’s about to pray for us to win. Now we’re set.”
The mentor folded his hands and prayed, “Heavenly Father, be with us today. We pray that your justice be done. Amen.”
It sank in. Justice might not be what counsel wants for the client. Drive hard, but let the result go.
Since then, life experiences have taught Alan about civil trial work. He has written for Texas Lawyer about how his work as a winning campaign manager taught lessons about negotiating and civil trial advocacy. He also wrote about lessons learned from:
Spending a day on an oil rig
Stepping into the boxing ring for a real-deal fight against a much heavier opponent
Courtrooms
Alan has litigated civil trial disputes across Texas. He is prepared to weigh in as a civil trial mediator.
Although the bulk of Alan’s civil trial work happened in Montgomery and Harris Counties, he has appeared in Brazos, Crockett, Travis, Trinity and Walker Counties. Alan has worked many federal cases in the Southern District of Texas, but has also ventured into the Western and Northern Districts of Texas.
Arbitration also drew in Alan’s clients. He handled arbitration matters before the AAA and JAMS.