Category Archives: Tips

My wife called out from the other room to ask if I had a stabbing pain in my chest like someone had a voodoo doll of me and was stabbing it. I said no. She said, “How about now?”  

Studies have shown that suppressing emotion often impairs cognitive processing. A better approach may be to consider in advance when your opponent’s words or actions may raise such feelings, then use that as a way to provide important information on … Continue reading →

When you argue a matter before the court, discuss both sides. You will enhance your credibility and perhaps take the wind out of the sails of your opposition. And also (thank you to Tania Bartolini for this thought) gain the … Continue reading →

Maintain a good relationship with opposing counsel.  Remember, a reputation is easy to get and hard to repair.  

Per David M. Levine, an experienced litigator of international matters and co-chair of the International Ethics Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law, United States lawyers should always be mindful of cultural considerations when mediating disputes involving … Continue reading →

Suggested by senior partner of EPGD Law, Eric Gros-Dubois:  Threatening an F.S.§57.105 filing.  Rarely appropriate.  And even if appropriate, rarely granted.  You want to be taken seriously.  Minor missteps like this can affect your reputation.  

A good rule: Choose the job you least want to start – and do it first. I’m not perfect at it, but I try.  

When drafting a pleading or any other document, be aware that abbreviating 2020 to just “20″ might be a problem.  It allows villains to add two numbers after the “20″ to make your date reference appear to be earlier or later … Continue reading →

So much to say. First, thank you for making 2019 my best year ever as a mediator. Building a mediation practice over the past 13 years has been a slow process but the word on Mediatorman has spread. To those who have graced … Continue reading →

Quoting from an opinion by Alan Schwartz, the Honorable Thomas Rebull, accepting the Alan R. Schwartz award for Judicial Excellence from the Dade County Bar Association:  Too many members of the Bar practice with complete ignorance of or disdain for … Continue reading →