Speakers

Hesha Abrams is a nationally acclaimed attorney mediator for over 25 years, known for crafting highly creative settlements in very difficult cases. She has created settlements worth over $500 million in 2007 and 2008 alone. She specializes in creating innovative solutions for complex or difficult matters in commercial, Intellectual Property and "Deal Mediations", which is driving a complex business deal to successful signing. She has the unique ability to work with big egos and strong personalities. Hesha has successfully mediated for thousands of parties and was an innovator in the mediation field serving on the legislative task force that drafted the landmark Texas ADR law. She mediates, consults, and negotiates on behalf of private parties throughout the country and internationally. She has worked in the UK, Thailand and India and with parties from all over the globe in complex patent licensing deals. She taught mediation and negotiation at the 2001 International Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, in The Hague. She is on the national panel for Dow Corning Implant cases, and is the Chair of the Texas Bar Intellectual Property ADR Committee. She has been appointed Delegate to the Fifth Circuit Judicial Conference, 1988, 1990, 2002, speaker 2005, elected as a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation in 2006 and received the Brutsché Award for Excellence in Mediation from the Association of Attorney Mediators. For further information, see www.abramsmediation.com.

John Allen Chalk has been a Texas mediator since 1992 and is a "Credentialed Advanced" by Texas Mediator Credentialing Association. John Allen is the Chair-Elect of the State Bar of Texas ADR Section and serves as a mediator and an arbitrator. He is a member of neutrals’ panels for the American Arbitration Association, International Centre for Dispute Resolution, American Health Lawyers Association ADR Service, the CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution, the National Arbitration Forum. John Allen is also a member of the AHLA ADR Service Task Force. He is a partner in Whitaker, Chalk, Swindle & Sawyer, LLP, Fort Worth, Texas.

Susan Jensen has been engaged in a litigation practice in Arlington, Texas since 1984. A large portion of her litigation practice has been in the area of child custody cases, and when she became a mediator in 2004 it was a natural progression for her to go from family law practice to family law mediator. Susan was an honor graduate of Henderson High School in Henderson, Texas in 1975, a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington in 1979, and received her J.D. from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1984. In addition to her professional focus, Susan is a published poet and a published BMI songwriter. She was nominated as "Poet of the Millennium" by the Library of Congress in 1999. Susan was the second woman in Texas to complete the Defensive Shotgun Class held at the Texas Pistol Academy in Whitewright and relaxes by target shooting her Colt .45 ACP. She is a mediation trainer in the family law area. Susan and her husband, John, are the founders of Jensen & Jensen, a Professional Corporation, and they have four adult children.

John Rothman is the Legal Director of Oklahoma Mediation/Arbitration Service, a national provider of private mediation and arbitration proceedings. He is a graduate of Harvard University (B.A. 1977) and Boston University School of Law (J.D. 1981). He has personally conducted over 3,500 mediation and arbitration proceedings and is also the author of A Lawyer's Practical Guide to Mediation.

Sid Stahl has been recognized as one of the original and more prominent mediators in Texas. Texas Lawyer has referred to him as the "Dean of the Dallas Mediators" and in 2007 named him one of the two best mediators in Dallas and among the five best in Texas. Since 1989, he has mediated over 2200 cases throughout the country and has trained over 2000 attorneys to be mediators. He received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the SMU School of Law where, for the past 15 years, he has been a member of the Adjunct Faculty, teaching Dispute Resolution. In 1991, he was named recipient of the Law School’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Prior to beginning his career as a mediator, he spent over 30 years as a highly successful attorney with the Dallas law firm of Geary, Stahl & Spencer. His extensive experience in litigation, corporate, real estate, banking and securities matters contributes significantly to his skills as a mediator. He has participated in dozens of CLE programs sponsored by Bar Associations, Law Schools and Judicial Conferences and was a contributing author to the ABA’s Litigation Section publication Alternative Dispute Resolution: The Litigator’s Handbook. Sid’s civic activities include service on the Board of Directors of various hospitals, arts, business, religious and charitable organizations. He has been a Director of both the Dallas Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas. He has been recognized and honored by his peers by being named the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the coveted Morris Harrell Award for Professionalism (Dallas Bar Association and the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism), Justinian Award (Dallas Lawyer’s Wives Club), Jurisprudence Award (Anti-Defamation League), Torch of Conscience Award (American Jewish Congress), and the Steve Brutsché Award (Association of Attorney-Mediators). Every year since 2003 he has been named one of Texas Super Lawyers by Texas Monthly magazine. "D" Magazine has also named him as one of the Best Lawyers in Dallas, and he has been named as one of the Best Lawyers in America every year since 2005.

Ross W. Stoddard, III is an attorney-mediator with a full-time mediation practice, based in Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. He conducts approximately 200 mediations per year, having conducted 3,500+ mediations involving $20+ billion in aggregate claims since 1989. Ross teaches Effective Negotiations - Strategies, Tactics and Ethics in the SMU Executive MBA Program. He conducts advanced mediation training through the American Academy of Attorney-Mediators, Inc. ("THE ACADEMY") and other bar/ADR associations. Ross authored the chapter on the use of ADR in tort disputes in The Litigator’s Handbook, published by the ABA Section of Litigation. He practiced law for 15 years prior to becoming a mediator.

Please complete the form below and mail it and your check (if not paying by credit card) in the amount of $175 (for AAM members) or $300 (for non-members) to Association of Attorney-Mediators ("AAM"), P.O. Box 741955, Dallas, Texas 75374-1955 for receipt no later than Friday, April 17, 2009. Credit card registrations may be faxed to 972-669-8180. Guests/spouses may attend the seminar and meals/social hour for $125.00 on a space-available basis. (This does not include CLE credit for guests/spouses). Guests/spouses may attend the social hour on Friday evening and/or the luncheon on Saturday for additional pricing set out below. Non-members can apply $125.00 of their registration fee toward AAM membership. (Registration begins at 12:00 noon on Friday, April 24, and the program adjourns on Saturday, April 25, at 1:30 pm, after our special luncheon entertainment.)

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TO SECURE MY PLACE AT THE APRIL 24 & 25, 2009 ADVANCED ATTORNEY-MEDIATOR TRAINING AND ANNUAL MEETING, I ENCLOSE MY CHECK IN THE AMOUNT OF $_________ MADE PAYABLE TO "ASSOCIATION OF ATTORNEY-MEDIATORS".

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HOTEL RESERVATION INFORMATION:

Attendees may reserve a guestroom at RENAISSANCE WORTHINGTON HOTEL, at the discounted nightly rate of $169.00, plus tax, by calling for reservations at toll-free at (800) 469-3571 on or before April 2, 2009. (** HOTEL CUT-OFF EXTENDED UNTIL END OF DAY APRIL 6, 2009**) Parking is $12.00 per day self park/$18.00 valet per day, at the hotel. For online room reservations, visit: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dfwdt?groupCode=attatta&app=resvlink&fromDate=4/23/09&toDate=4/27/09. Parking is $12.00 per day self park/$18.00 valet per day, at the hotel. For airport transportation from DFW and Love Field, and maps to the hotel please see http://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/travel/dfwdt-the-worthington-a-renaissance-hotel/ Questions? Please call AAM National Office: 1-800-280-1368 or 972-669-8101 Email: (aam@attorney-mediators.org)

PLANNING TIPS

The Advanced Attorney-Mediator Training will begin with registration at noon on Friday, April 24, 2009 and adjourn just in time for a 5:30 p.m. social reception for attendees and their guests. Dine in the area with friends and mediator colleagues later that evening. The Training resumes on Saturday morning, April 25, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. and continues through the morning, ending just after our luncheon entertainment "5000 Badguys" which will include a delicious luncheon feast. Attendees will be released to browse the many museums, galleries, shops, or to tour Billy Bob’s Texas, or meet up with friends to unwind on the rooftop bar at Reata, overlooking the beautiful city skyline. Spouses and significant others are encouraged to join us for the weekend and will find many places to browse, shop or play golf during the scheduled conference time.

In Fort Worth and Sundance Square, you'll find something for everyone. The many restaurants range from casual to elegant, from intimate dining to a family-style atmosphere. Lining the blocks, you'll find notable stores and other small specialty boutiques as well as art galleries and museums. Sundance Square is also home to one of the world's finest concert/performance halls. Day or night, there's a high-energy ambience in the air in Sundance Square. A feeling of excitement, innovation and fun. Located only 18 miles from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and 34 miles from Love Field Airport in Dallas for those Southwest Flyers, Sundance Square is accessible to the Southwest and the world. Fort Worth offers plenty of activities and attractions, including the top-ranked Fort Worth Zoo, interactive exhibits at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, and the many parks and gardens. Beautiful golf courses abound within the vicinity. Just a few minutes away, there's the incredible Ameriquest Field in Arlington, where the Texas Rangers take the field. It's also an easy drive to catch the Dallas Cowboys, Mavericks, and Stars.

Museums: Amon Carter Museum; Arlington Museum of Art; Fort Worth Museum of Science and History; National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame; Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art; The Kimbell Art Museum; The Modern Art Museum

Performing Arts: Arts Fifth Avenue; Bass Hall; Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth; Fort Worth Civic Orchestra; Fort Worth Community Arts Center; Fort Worth Jazz Orchestra; Fort Worth Opera; Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra; Regal Opera Company; Van Cliburn Foundation; Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth.