Resume

RESOLUTION EXPERIENCE

  • Arbitrator since 1986; Mediator since 1994.
  • Arbitrator and/or Mediator for the Resolute Systems, American Arbitration Association (AAA);
  • International Institute for Conflict Resolution and Prevention (CPR);
  • Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA/NASD);
  • New York Supreme Court, Commercial Division;
  • United States District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York;
  • National Futures Association (NFA), American Health Law Association Neutral Roster. Formerly JAMS Distinguished Panel of Neutrals.
  • Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
  • International Mediation Institute Certified Mediator
  • Accredited CEDR Mediator

LITIGATION AND IN-HOUSE EXPERIENCE

  • Associate General Counsel, Commodity Exchange, Inc., New York. 1989-1993.
  • Assistant Commodities Counsel, Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co., Inc., New York. 1985-1988.
  • Enforcement Attorney, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Washington, D.C. 1980-1985.

LEVIN COLLEGE OF LAW

  • Subjects: Negotiation, Mediation, Arbitration, International Arbitration, 2015-present

 

ALBANY LAW SCHOOL

  • Securities Arbitration Clinic Director, 2010-2012

 

EDUCATION

J.D., Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Cleveland, Ohio, Order of Barristers, Jessup Moot Court, Best Oralist, Regional Competition; Finalist, Nationals
B.A., Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, B.A. French Literature and Language.
TRAINING AND SPEAKING: 

  • ABA Delegate and Speaker, Comparative ADR, Chamber of Commerce, Florence, Italy, May 2019.
  • Mediate First Event, Hong Kong, May 2019.
  • Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association, Cooperstown, NY, November 2018.
  • Florida Bar Association Section of International Law, February 2019.
  • Florida Bar Association Annual Convention, June 2017, 2018.
  • WTS International Puget Sound Chapter, 2017, Seattle, WA
  • Women Lawyers in Leadership 2017, PLI, New York, New York, NY
  • Speaker, Persuasion, ABA Litigation Section, Young Lawyers Regional Program, Montclair, NJ, June 2017.
  • Speaker and ABA Delegate, DiTella Law School, Buenos, Aires, May, 2017
  • Speaker, CPR 2017 5th Business Dispute Management Congress, Curitiba, Brazil
  • Moderator, Panel on Mediation Best Practices, ABA Litigation Section, Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, May 2017
  • Speaker, FINRA Update, ABA Dispute Resolution Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, May 2017.
  • Faculty, American Bar Association, Section of Dispute Resolution, Advanced Arbitration Institute, Chicago, IL 2016- to present.
  • Faculty, American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution Advanced Negotiation Institute, Washington, D.C., October 2015.
  • Design and presentation of trainings including: Negotiation Skills and Theory; Breaking Impasse; Gender Differences in Negotiation; Ethics in Negotiation; Persuasion Skills and Theory; Mediation Advocacy, 2009- present. Clients include: Akerman; Bressler, Amery & Ross; Burns and Levinson; Cushman Wakefield; Merrill Lynch; Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney; UBS; Wells Fargo; Albany Bar Association; Brooklyn Bar Association; Maine State Bar Association; New Jersey State Bar; New York City Bar; and the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers;
  • Faculty, ABA Advanced Mediation Institute, 2009, 2012-to present.
  • Faculty, Licensing Executive Society, Negotiation Skills, 2009
  • Co-Trainer, Mediator Training for New York Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, 2001, 2002, 2009.
  • Co-Trainer, Mediator Training for the NASD/U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York and Phoenix (1997, 1998.)
  • Role-Play Coach for: the NASD/Bankruptcy Court Mediator Training; New York City Bar Mediator Training; and JAMS Mediator Training.
  • Negotiation Webinar Series, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, January through June 2016.
  • Panelist, Negotiation Ethics, Securities Arbitration, PLI, New York, New York, August 2014
  • Panelist, Deal Mediation, CPR Mediation Congress, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, April, 2014
  • Panelist, Managing Client Expectations and Understanding the Psychology of Decision Making, Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association Annual Meeting, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, October 2012.
  • Speaker, Public Investor’s Arbitration Bar Association, Legal Issues in Mediation, Annual Meeting, Law Day, Rancho Mirage, California, October 2011.
  • Program Chair and Moderator, What Clients Expect of Mediators, ABA, Section of Dispute Resolution Teleconference, October 2011.
  • Sole Presenter, Deal Mediation, ACR-GNY, New York, New York, June 2011.
  • Program Chair and Moderator, The Future of Mandatory Arbitration: A Conversation About Dodd-Frank and The Arbitration Fairness Act.
  • Program Chair and Moderator, Point/Counterpoint Caucusing in Mediation, Panel David Hoffman and Prof. Robert Mnookin, ABA Teleconference 2010
  • Program Chair and Moderator, The Brains Behind the Deals, Neuroscience and Negotiation, Speaker Prof. Richard Birke, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Teleconference, February 2010
  • Program Chair and Moderator, Settlement Counsel, Bar of the City of New York, November 2010
  • Program Chair and Moderator, Closing the Deal in Mediation, Bar of the City of New York, December 2010.
  • Speaker, Mediation of Cross Border Art Disputes, American Bar Association, Section of Dispute Resolution Annual Meeting, New York, New York April, 2009.
  • Speaker, Deal Mediation, Counselors of Real Estate Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, October 2008.
  • Speaker, Deal Mediation, ACR and AAA Conference for Commercial Mediators, Austin, Texas, September 2008.
  • Program Chair and Moderator, Deal Mediation, ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, Telephonic Web-cast, February 2008.
  • Program Chair and Moderator, Settlement Counsel, ABA Dispute Resolution Section Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington, April 2008
  • Speaker, Deal Mediation, Union International des Avocats, Paris, France, October 2007
  • Mediation, State Bar of New York, September 2007
  • Program Chair and Moderator, Telephonic Mediation, ABA Dispute Resolution Section Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., April 2007
  • Speaker, Mediation in Securities Employment Matters, National Employment Lawyers Association (“NELA”), June 2002.

BAR ACTIVITIES

  • American Bar Association (“ABA”), Section of Dispute Resolution: Immediate Past Chair, Litigation Section: Co-Chair, Mediation Sub-Committee of the ADR Committee.
  • International Bar Association, Mediation Committee, Vice Chair, International Center for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (“CPR”), Counsel,
  • Miami International Arbitration Society, Academic Board Member, 2018-present.
  • New York State Community Dispute Resolution Center Mediator Ethics Advisory Board, 2011-present.
  • New York State Division of Human Rights Mediation Committee, March 2011- November 2011.
  • ADR Executive Committee of the Bar of the City of New York, 2008-2011.

 

PUBLICATIONS

Book Chapter

  • Burke, Louis F., ed. Chapter 5, “Mediation in the Futures Industry,” Alternate Dispute Resolution in the Futures Industry. Huntington, NY: Juris (2013).

Law Review and other Publications

  • The Seven Keys To Unlock Mediation’s Golden Age, Expand the Value of Mediation into Deal-Making, Mediate.com (7/05/20)
  • The Ethics of Settling a FINRA Dispute: Can you Lie? PLI Securities Arbitration 235 (August 2014).
  • Understanding Impasse: How to Prevent, Avoid, and Break Deadlocks, 20 PIABA B.J. 373 (2013).
  • Deal Resolution:  The Facilitated Negotiation of Transactions, 30 Windsor Rev. Legal & Soc. Issues 193 (March 2011).
  • (Reprint) Telephonic Mediation:  An Overview, 1899 PLI/Corp 195 (August 2011).
  • Telephonic Mediation:  An Overview, The Neutral Corner, Vol. 3 FINRA (2011).
  • Preparation:  Getting There is More Than Half the Fun, ABA Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Alternative Dispute Resolution Advanced Mediation and Skills Seminar (Oct. 2009).
  • Making the Mediation Fair for All:  What Should the Parties Expect From Their Mediator, 1755 PLI/Corp 45 (August 2009).
  • Mediation Advocacy:  How to Win the Heart and Mind of Your Mediator:  Preferring a Slow Yes to a Quick No, 1615 PLI/Corp. 11 (August 2007).
  • Telephonic Mediation, ABA Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR in Bloom (April 2007).
  • Deal Mediation: A New Use for An Old Friend, International Mediation Institute, http://imimediation.org/joan-stearns-article
  • The Dreaded Mediation Impasse:  Possible Ways of Avoiding It, 11 SUM PIABA B.J. 66 (2004).
  • Telephonic Mediation:  What, Who, When and Why, 11 Securities Arbitration Commentator 1 (Jan. 2000).
  • Mediator Friend or Foe, SF 16 ALI-ABA 415 (2000).
  • Mediator Friend or Foe, Using the Mediator to Your Best Advantage, ABA Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Alternative Dispute Resolution: How To Use It To Your Advantage (Oct. 2000).
  • Ten Things Your Arbitrator Would Love To Tell You, But Can’t, 1131 PLI/CORP 573 (August, 1999).
  • Securities Mediation: Point/Counterpoint, Reply to David Robbins Article, 9 Securities Arbitration Commentator 1 (Nov 1997).

BAR MEMBERSHIPS

  • New York
  • District of Columbia (inactive)

EDUCATION

  • Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D.
  • Northwestern University, B.A.

LANGUAGES

  • Proficient in French, knowledge of German