Survival Guide to a Successful Mediation

Begins at Tue, Dec 13, 2022 12:00 PM
Ends at Tue, Dec 13, 2022 01:00 PM

Every claims professional knows that the number of jury trials is decreasing, and mediation is the predominant means for resolving cases in a situation where the claims professional has more control over the process. The process of mediation is nothing more than a negotiation. And negotiation is a fact of life. You do it every day with your significant other, your children, your staff, your outside litigation counsel, and your colleagues. The most successful negotiations involve preparation and communication. This webinar will explore effective negotiation tools and tips to help claims professional take the lead in and/or guide their outside litigation counsel towards a successful mediation while also looking at some of the common pitfalls to avoid.

About the Speakers

Raymond C. Lewis
Raymond knows that an attorney with courtroom experience is a valuable asset to a client and has developed the skills necessary to get through the unexpected hurdles of a courtroom.

His practice centers primarily in the areas of complex commercial and business litigation, insurance defense, and appellate work. He has successfully litigated complex commercial disputes for local and national clients involving multi-million dollar claims for breach of contract, product liability, oil and gas disputes, and transportation casualty. In his appellate practice, Ray has handled numerous appeals before the Louisiana Supreme Court, Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Fifth Circuit, many resulting in published decisions favorable to his clients.

Ray has appeared multiple times as a "Ones to Watch" in the legal industry by New Orleans CityBusiness. He has also been voted to the Louisiana Super Lawyers List since 2014. He has written and lectured on trial and appellate practice and environmental law topics.

Kelly Theard
Kelly Theard is a construction lawyer representing general contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, program managers and material suppliers in a variety of construction related litigation including construction defect, design and professional liability, and third-party injury claims. She also assists her clients in contract negotiations and pre-claim disputes. Ms. Theard currently serves as the firm's Managing Partner as well as Head of the Construction Practice Group.

While Ms. Theard's practice is primarily focused on construction and professional liability matters, she also handles general liability matters for local restaurants and department stores. Her general liability clients have included well-known regional restaurant chains with Louisiana locations, the nation's largest broad-line closeout retailer and one of the largest food retailers in America. She has additional litigation experience in the areas of redhibition, products liability and commercial litigation.

Ms. Theard is a recognized practitioner in Construction Law by Chambers USA where a client communicated that Kelly “is smart, knows the ins, outs and details of construction and is an extremely hard worker.” She is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America® List (2015-2021) where she was named a “Lawyer of the Year” in 2018 and received the New Orleans CityBusiness "Women of the Year" award in 2015, 2019 and 2020.