A Florida Supreme Court-Certified Divorce Mediator

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About Roger C. Benson... Roger began his career as a field attorney with the National Labor Relations Board, investigating unfair labor practice complaints. This was followed by 25 years of private practice trial work concentrated in the area of employment law. He became a Florida Supreme Court-certified mediator (circuit civil, county and family) in 1989. Since then, he has mediated more than 3,000 cases of every shape and size. His 28+ years of mediation experience includes labor and employment mediation, securities industry claims, divorce mediation, intellectual property disputes, bankruptcy, commercial claims, franchise disputes, real estate law (including financing, land use and foreclosure), insurance coverage, and bad faith claims. He has firmly established a reputation as a strong, creative and tireless professional committed to a philosophy of impartiality combined with a rigorous, activist approach to problem solving. 

Summary Of Qualifications

  • Highly accomplished independent conflict resolution professional providing appropriate dispute resolution solutions including mediation, arbitration, independent investigation of EEOC and other employment related claims and service as a contract ombudsman. One of the first court-certified mediators in Florida. Extensive experience teaching mediation and negotiation skills. Willing to travel — no charge for time spent travelling.
  • Firmly established reputation as a creative and tireless ADR professional committed to a philosophy of proactive and engaged problem solving.
  • Creative, dynamic problem solver with excellent mediation, risk management, fact-gathering and negotiation skills.
  • Results-oriented with the ability to quickly identify, understand and address legal and emotional issues and pave the way for the parties to settle disputes in a durable, cost-effective way.
  • Skilled at engaging reluctant and difficult personalities in the conflict resolution process. Focused, patient, confident, calm and diplomatic, working in even the most stressful and challenging circumstances.
  • Licenses: Member, The Florida Bar (#154656); Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator: County, Circuit, Family (DRC #0094)

Professional Experience

Mediator

  • Mediated 3000+ cases, including complex, multi-party and class-action litigationin both state and federal courts, throughout the United States
  • Issues included employment and civil rights claims, labor law claims, medical, dental, nursing and hospital/nursing home malpractice, personal injury/wrongful death, construction disputes, real estate matters, contested high asset divorce, securities claims, insurance claims, commercial claims, franchise disputes, environmental/land use, residential and commercial foreclosure and bankruptcy

Independent, Neutral Investigator

  • Extensive experience investigating claims of employment discrimination and breach of contract/wrongful termination in the private and public sectors and providing employers with in-depth analysis of complex and conflicting narratives and recommendations for innovative, cost-effective and durable solutions.

Arbitrator

  • Served as arbitrator and arbitration panel member in a wide variety of claims: collective bargaining grievance arbitration, non-binding arbitration of claims pending in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida and the 6th and 13th Judicial Circuits, Florida; FINRA claims; class action claims resolution arbitration, Florida Lemon Law recreational vehicle arbitration.

Ombudsman

  • Design and establish ombuds program for employers and serve as the program ombudsman on a contract basis.

Professional Training

  • Harvard Law School — Advanced Negotiation: Applications to Gender
  • U.S. Department of Justice - Americans with Disabilities Act mediation training for professional mediators
  • Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator: circuit/country/family
  • Additional advanced circuit and family mediation training
  • Advanced Workshop for Mediators in Intellectual Property Disputes, World Intellectual Property
    Organization (WIPO), an agency of the United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
  • Holocaust Studies for Educators, International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel
  • Florida Growth Management Consortium, mediating public policy disputes involving environmental issues
  • Primary trainer for Florida Supreme Court Mediation Certification Program

 

Served On The Following Mediation Or Arbitration Panels:

  • United States District Court, Middle District of Florida — Mediator and Arbitrator
  • Florida State Courts — Mediator and Arbitrator
  • Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) — Mediator and Arbitrator
  • Collins Center for Public Policy, Mediator and Arbitrator, hurricane insurance claims program
  • International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR), Mediator
  • World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an agency of the United Nations, panel of mediators, Geneva, Switzerland
  • National Panel of Mediators, In re: The Prudential Insurance Company of America Sales Practices Litigation, Class Action ADR Process
  • National Panel of Mediators, Cremin, et al. v. Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, Inc., Class Action Claims Resolution Process
  • National Panel of Mediators, Martens, et al. v. Smith Barney, Class Action Claims Resolution Process
  • Sixth Judicial Circuit (Florida) foreclosure mediation panel member; family law mediation panel
  • Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida, foreclosure mediation panel member
  • Fulbright Specialist - Mediation/Conflict Resolution - 2018-2020

Work History

  • More than 25 years of trial experience, including both jury and bench trials, in federal and state courts and federal and state administrative agencies; employment and labor law (NLRA, FLSA, ADEA,OSHA, etc.), personal injury, commercial/UCC, probate (will contests), contested divorce

Jackson, Lewis, Schnitzler & Krupman, New York, New York, Associate

  • Represented management in all areas of employment and labor law

National Labor Relations Board, Tampa, Florida, Field Attorney

  • Investigated unfair labor practices, conducted administrative hearings, prosecuted claims before administrative law judges representing NLRB

Education

  • University of Miami Law School, Coral Gables, Florida Juris Doctor

  • University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida Bachelor of Science, Major: Journalism/Finance