|
As a former Judge of Compensation Claims, Howard Scheiner brings to mediation his 20 years of experience and expertise. Judge Scheiner has been mediating since 2000 and has been certified by the Florida Supreme Court to conduct Circuit Court civil mediations. Prior to taking the bench in 1995, Judge Scheiner represented insurance carriers, injured workers, employers, plaintiffs and physicians in personal injury and worker's compensation cases. He began his legal career as a law clerk at the Third District Court of Appeal and was formerly designated by the Florida Bar in appellate law. A past President of the Statewide Conference of Judges of Compensation Claims, member of the Florida Bar Worker's Compensation Rules Committee and frequent lecturer on mediation techniques, ethics and Worker's Compensation law, Judge Scheiner has mediated over 2500 cases in the last 5 years, and enjoys an extremely high success rate in resolving cases. He is the founding member of the Mediation Group. | ||
A former Judge of Compensation Claims and President of the Statewide Conference of Judges of Compensation Claims, Rand Hoch has been resolving workplace disputes through arbitration, mediation and negotiation since leaving the bench in 1995. He has developed a well-deserved reputation for bringing ingenuity to the process and getting results. First certified as a Circuit Court Civil Mediator in 1991, Judge Hoch was employed as a General Master for the Department of Labor and Employment Security prior to taking the bench, and practiced before that in the fields of labor law, workers' compensation, pension and employee benefits and election law. He served on the Editorial Board of the The Florida Bar Journal and The Florida Bar News, and has published "Campaign Finance Reform, Now More Than Ever". He is "AV" rated by Martindale Hubble, and has lectured extensively on alternative dispute resolution, labor law and election law. His varied experience and community involvement has helped Judge Hoch achieve a high success rate in resolving cases in mediation. | ||
A former Judge of Compensation Claims for 12 years, Steven Cullen has been providing mediation services to the workers' compensation legal community for over 4 years as a certified Circuit Court Civil Mediator. Judge Cullen was the chairman of the Mediation subcommittee and treasurer for the Statewide Conference of Judges of Compensation Claims. He was formerly an Editorial Board member of The Florida Bar Journal & News and Law Related Education. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Cullen practiced in the field of civil litigation. He is a frequent lecturer, moderator, panel discussant and moot court judge on workers' compensation matters and is an author of CLE materials. His keen insights have earned him a reputation as an effective mediator with highly successful results. | ||
Andrew Bucher is a Florida Supreme Court certified Civil Circuit Mediator with The Mediation Group. Prior to joining The Mediation Group, Mr. Bucher was a senior trial attorney for The Zenith Insurance Company and, before that, for The Hartford Insurance Company. While at The Zenith and The Hartford, Mr. Bucher handled complex workers’ compensation litigation and gained insight into the manner in which insurance companies evaluate cases. As a defense attorney, Mr. Bucher settled more cases than any other attorney in Florida for The Zenith, and he enjoyed a reputation as an attorney who zealously represented his client’s interests while reaching fair and reasonable agreements with opposing counsel. Prior to his employment in Florida, Mr. Bucher worked for The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Office of General Counsel, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, where he assisted in writing judicial opinions. Mr. Bucher began his career in private practice, where he represented plaintiffs who were involved in automobile accidents, slip and fall injuries, product liability disputes, bad faith claims, premises liability, negligent security and commercial litigation disputes. Mr. Bucher received his B.A. from Penn State University and his J.D. from Widener University School of Law. | ||
Over 25 years litigation experience in Palm Beach County, in areas of personal injury, professional malpractice, “bad faith” litigation, commercial litigation, insurance disputes of all types, and construction related claims, in both state and federal courts. I have primarily handled cases through insurance companies but also have represented numerous plaintiffs in all types of litigation. | ||
Mr. McAfee has spent the last 17 years as a trial lawyer. Bill has handled bad faith, insurance coverage, product liability, medical malpractice, auto collision, wrongful death, premises liability, negligent security and commercial cases to conclusion. Mr. McAfee is an A.V. rated lawyer who has litigated cases throughout the state of Florida. He has lectured on civil trial issues in Florida, Washington D.C., Arkansas and Kentucky. Mr. McAfee is a certified mediator and has joined The Mediation Group as a full time mediator. |
