Deborah G. Casey
Mediator/Arbitrator

Deborah Casey is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina and is currently a solo practitioner in The Law Offices of Deborah G. Casey in Charlotte. Her practice focus is civil litigation with emphasis in medical malpractice and serious personal injury. Deborah received her Juris Doctor from Cumberland School f Law, Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama in 1991. Prior to attending law school, Deborah was employed as a technical consultant with the I. E. DuPont Corporation. She received her undergraduate degree in BS in Medical Technology from Western Carolina University. She is a certified mediator for the North Carolina Superior Courts.

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Honorable Robert A. Collier, Jr.
Mediator/Arbitrator

Robert A. Collier, Jr. resides in Statesville, North Carolina. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1957 and his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina Law School in 1959. Judge Collier completed basic and advanced courses in mediation and arbitration at the American Arbitration Association and the Private Adjudication Center at the Duke University School of Law. In 1998, Judge Collier retired from the bench after 20 years of service as a Superior Court Judge. Judge Collier has been a speaker for numerous organizations, including the North Carolina Bar Association, the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Conference of Superior Court Judges, and the American Arbitration Association Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators of Large, Complex Cases.

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Harry G. Goodheart, III
Mediator/Arbitrator
Trainer and Consultant

Since 1988, Mr. Goodheart has mediated over 2,300 state, federal and pre-litigation cases throughout the southeastern United States. These cases involved disputes concerning commercial, construction, and securities transactions; land use and environmental issues; employment, banking, insurance, healthcare and transportation matters; and a wide variety of other issues.

Mr. Goodheart specializes in mediating complex, multi-party disputes. His training includes the Harvard Negotiation Program and the FBI's Advanced Hostage Negotiation. He was instrumental in developing the Florida Twelfth Judicial Circuit's Model Mediation Program. He has been admitted to the Florida Bar since 1973, and is included in Law and Leading attorneys: Florida Consumer Guidebook: America's Most Respected Counsel as Judged by their Peers. He and Cotton Harness have provided the Certified Circuit Civil Mediator Training Program of the South Carolina Bar since 1995.

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David B. Hamilton
Mediator/Arbitrator

David Hamilton is a partner in Hamilton Moon Stephens Steele & Martin, PLLC. He received a B.S. in Foreign Service, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University in 1974, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a Juris Doctor, with honors, at the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill in 1977, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif. He is currently a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, including several of its sections. He is also a member of the Mecklenburg County Bar, having served as its President, and of the American Bar Association, for which he served as a Delegate to its legislative body. He is certified as a mediator by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission, and as a commercial and construction arbitrator by the American Arbitration Association. He is also a founding member of the Arbitration Group, LLC, which provides arbitration services in the Carolinas.

Mr. Hamilton’s involvement in alternative dispute resolution spans more than 15 years. He chaired the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the Mecklenburg County Bar for nine years, during which time a variety of dispute resolution programs were designed for and introduced into state and federal courts. He also served on the Board of the Dispute Resolution Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. He has spoken extensively on ADR in a variety of forums, including seminars presented by both the North Carolina Bar Association and the Mecklenburg County Bar. He has served as a facilitator at mediator training programs conducted by the American Arbitration Association. He has acted as an arbitrator and mediator in hundreds of matters.

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Cotton C. Harness, III
Mediator/Arbitrator
Trainer and Consultant

Mr. Harness practices law in Charleston, South Carolina and is a partner in Harness & Associates, Inc. Dispute Resolution Services. He has over twenty years of experience as a trial attorney, and is listed among "Best Lawyers in America". A pioneer in the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), Mr. Harness has served as a facilitator, mediator and arbitrator in matters ranging from labor disputes to environmental conflicts. He has created internal dispute resolution systems for several large corporations and governmental entities. He regularly conducts training for organizations and individuals in the areas of negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and peer review. In addition, Mr. Harness has published several articles on dispute resolution and spoken on a variety of topics to many organizations, including The Edison Electric Institute, the National Association of State Legislatures and the American Bar Association. He currently serves on the National Board of the American Arbitration Association, the National Employment Council and the South Carolina Supreme Court ADR Commission.

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David P. (Paul) Hefferon
Mediator/Arbitrator

David P. "Paul" Hefferon was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina in 1954. He is married to Vera Hefferon and has four children, ages 15 through 27. He was educated in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and earned his B.A. in History and Political Science at UNC-Charlotte in 1980. He is a 1982 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law. Paul is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, the Mecklenburg County Bar, the North Carolina Bar Association, the American Association For Justice, and the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers. Paul has been practicing law in Charlotte since 1983 and concentrates his practice in serious personal injury cases, worker's compensation, and business litigation. He has been trying jury trials in state and federal courts for more than two decades. In addition to his trial work, Paul is also a certified mediator

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Thomas J. (Tom) Hefferon
Mediator/Arbitrator

Tom Hefferon was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina in 1952. He is married to Sylvia and has three grown children. He was educated in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and earned his B.A. in Philoshopy at UNC-Charlotte. He is a 1981 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. Tom is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, the Mecklenburg County Bar, the North Carolina Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, and the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers. In addition to trial work, Tom is also a certified mediator.

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Gary S. Hemric
Mediator/Arbitrator

Gary S. Hemric resides in Charlotte, North Carolina and is a partner in the firm of James McElroy & Diehl. He is primarily engaged in a civil litigation practice including negligence, business and commercial law, construction, medical malpractice and products liability. Gary received his Juris Doctor in 1974 from the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill after completing undergraduate study at Davidson College in 1970. Gary completed the American Arbitration Association Introductory Arbitrator Training and the 40-hour American Arbitration Association Superior Court Mediator Training Program. He serves as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and a mediator for North Carolina Superior Courts and the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

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Sally Higgins
Mediator/Arbitrator

Sally Higgins, principal of Higgins Law Firm, PLLC concentrates her practice in business disputes and civil litigation. Sally formerly practiced as a partner of Kennedy Covington, a large regional firm, and has 12 years experience as a trial lawyer. She has handled and tried cases involving many issues—commercial disputes, ERISA and employment matters, and torts including defamation, among others. She has also worked with a wide variety of clients in various industries, including individuals, small to medium-sized companies, and large, publicly-traded corporations. Sally has arbitrated cases before the American Arbitration Association, New York Stock Exchange, National Association of Securities Dealers and JAMS. She is active in community organizations, including the Mecklenburg County Bar, having served two terms as its Vice President; Community School of the Arts; and the Women Presidents Organization.

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Harold D. "Chip" Holmes, Jr.
Mediator/Arbitrator

Mr. Holmes is a member of the firm of Parker, Poe, Adams & Bernstein's Torts and Insurance Practice Group practicing in the areas of personal injury defense, insurance litigation, premises liability litigation and medical malpractice. He has experience in both state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration and mediation. Mr. Holmes is also a certified mediator in North Carolina, a member of the Litigation section of the North Carolina Bar Association and a member of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association's Young Lawyer's Division.

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Wayne P. Huckel
Mediator/Arbitrator

Wayne P. Huckel is a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina where he is a partner in the firm of Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman. He practices in the commercial litigation and insurance fields. Wayne is a 1969 graduate of Davidson College. He received his Juris Doctor in 1972 from the New York University Law School and received mediator training from the American Arbitration Association. Wayne was the initial chairperson for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association. He is currently serving for the 8th year as an arbitrator and mediator for the Mecklenburg County Bar Association's Fee Dispute Committee. He is also a member of the construction, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution sections of the American Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Association.

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Judge Robert W. Kirby
Mediator/Arbitrator

Judge Robert Kirby is a resident of Cherryville, North Carolina. He graduated from High Point University in 1949 and the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1952. After a number of years as general supervisor and prosecutor for the local Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court, Judge Kirby began a general practice law in Cherryville. In 1970, he was appointed as a District Judge and, four years later, he was elected a Superior Court Judge. In 1993, Judge Kirby retired from the bench. In addition to serving as an Emergency Judge, Judge Kirby mediates and arbitrates cases in all areas of civil litigation, including automobile personal injury, professional malpractice, contract disputes, and a variety of insurance claim disputes.

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Andrew W. Lax
Mediator/Arbitrator

Andrew W. Lax has joined the McNair Law Firm as Special Counsel in our Charlotte office. Andy, a Virginia native, was graduated from the College of William and Mary, B.A., 1977, and received his Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University in 1985, where he was a member of the Moot Court Board.

He is a Certified Mediator and admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Prior to joining our Firm in August 2002, Andy was a partner in another Charlotte law firm. His practice area concentration is complex LITIGATION with an emphasis on CONSTRUCTION LAW, INSURANCE DEFENSE, PERSONAL INJURY, PRODUCTS LIABILITY, PROFESSIONAL MALPRACTICE and ENVIRONMENTAL law.

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Andrew Ward McKeithen
Mediator/Arbitrator

Ward McKeithen is a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina and partner in the firm of Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A. Ward has over 35 years of experience as a trial lawyer in state and federal courts with wide experience in general commercial litigation and dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration. He is a graduate of Davidson College (1960) and Duke Law School (1963), a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, a former President of the Mecklenburg County Bar, and an arbitrator and certified mediator.

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Raymond E. Owens, Jr.
Mediator/Arbitrator

Ray Owens lives in Charlotte, North Carolina where he is a litigation partner in the firm of Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman. His practice focuses on criminal and civil litigation as well as on general commercial litigation, including shareholder and partnership disputes, products liability and insurance coverage litigation. Ray graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he studied History and German, in 1975. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina in 1978. Ray has written and lectured on a number of topics including "Insurance Coverage for Economic Torts," and "Dealing with the Press." Ray is very active in the community. His activities include serving on the Executive Committee for the Arts and Science Council and the Board of Directors of the Spirit Square Center for the Arts and Education.

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Professor Ralph Peeples
Mediator/Arbitrator

Ralph Peeples is Professor of Law at Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Professor Peeples teaches courses in dispute resolution, business organizations, and torts. He received his undergraduate degree in 1973 from Davidson College, and his law degree in 1976 from New York University. Prior to joining the faculty at Wake Forest in 1979, he was an associate attorney with the law firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Cleveland, Ohio. Professor Peeples has taught mediation and negotiation at Wake Forest since 1987. He has also been a trainer for various mediation and arbitration programs in North Carolina. He is a certified mediator for the NC Superior Court mediated settlement conference program, and presently serves on the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the newly created State Judicial Council.

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Honorable Chase B. Saunders
Mediator/Arbitrator

Chase Saunders is a lifelong resident of Charlotte, North Carolina. Judge Saunders earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1969 and a Juris Doctor in 1972 both from the University of North Carolina. He served as Assistant District Attorney until he was elected a District Court Judge in 1976. Appointed to the Superior Court Bench in 1982, Judge Saunders retired in 1997 from serving as Senior Resident Superior Court Judge. He is certified as a mediator by the American Arbitration Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association, North Carolina Workers Compensation Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Judge Saunders has lectured on a wide spectrum of legal issues from evidence and ethics to Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Internet. Chase is actively involved with numerous community and civic organizations, including the Charlotte Rotary Club, the YMCA Community Planning Committee, the Museum of the New South, the North Carolina Supreme Court Historical Society and the Mecklenburg Historical Society.

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James M. Shannonhouse
Mediator/Arbitrator
Trainer and Consultant

James Shannonhouse is a lifelong resident of Charlotte, North Carolina where he practices in the areas of commerical and industrial real estate, business and personal injury litigation. Jim has been the managing attorney on Intercede Mediation/ADR Services since 1995. His training in mediation and arbitration includes a forty-hour mediation certification conducted by Mediation, Inc. and the Harvard Law School Negotiation Workshop. He is a certified arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association, the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ, and the Chicago Board of Options. Jim has been a speaker at numerous Continuing Legal Education seminars as well as the certification program conducted by the American Arbitration Association. Jim's community involvement includes serving on the Board of Advisors for the YMCA.

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Jackson N. Steele
Mediator/Arbitrator

Jack Steele practices law primarily in the areas of banking, business and commercial litigation, construction claims, and personal injury. Mr. Steele became a partner at Kilpatrick Stockton in 1981, and is an arbitrator and certified mediator.

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Judy D. Thompson
Mediator/Arbitrator

Judy D. Thompson is a Partner in the Law Firm of Poyner & Spruill LLP. She has her office in Charlotte, NC and resides part time in Henderson County, NC. A former President of the Mecklenburg County Bar and former Councilor of the North Carolina State Bar, she practices in the area of bankruptcy, insolvency, creditors’ rights, contract disputes and general commercial litigation, as well as in all areas of dispute resolution. Judy has a B.S. from the University of Florida in 1969, an M.S. from Florida State University in 1972 and a J.D. from the University of Houston in 1985. She is certified as a mediator by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association. Prior to practicing law, Judy was in the private business sector for 13 years in the area of long-term residential care services.

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Charles V. Tompkins, Jr.
Mediator/Arbitrator

Charles Tompkins is a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina. Charles is a partner in the firm of Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman and has over 29 years of experience as a trial lawyer in a wide variety of cases, including medical malpractice, products liability, construction and commercial disputes. He graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in History in 1958 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1961. Charles received his Alternative Dispute Resolution training at the Duke University Private Adjudication Center in 1995. In the past five years, his mediation experience has included medical malpractice cases, products liability cases, premises liability cases,EFIS (synthetic stucco) cases, and commercial contract disputes.

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Howard M. Widis
Mediator/Arbitrator

Howard M. Widis is a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina. Howard is a partner in the firm of Widis and Brooks which specializes in civil litigation involving employment, insurance, property and casualty, contract disputes, personal injury, domestic/international transportation and international trade. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1973 with a B. A. in History. Howard received his Juris Doctor in 1977 from the University of North Carolina and an M.A. in Diplomacy and International Commerce from the University of Kentucky in 1978. Howard is a member in the North Carolina State Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and the Maritime Law Association (Proctor in Admiralty). Howard is a certified mediator/arbitrator.

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