UDLA Mediation Academy- Half Day Event

November 12, 2021 

Utah Defense Lawyers Association – Mediation Academy

FRIDAY, November 12, 2021

8:00 – 8:15          Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:15 – 10:30        Mediator Presentations

10:30 – 10:45     Break

10:45 – 12:15     Mediation Simulation

12:15 – 1:30       Lunch and Feedback/Moderated Panel Discussion and Q & A with Mediators

*5 hours of CLE will be applied for with the Utah State Bar

This program is geared toward our younger lawyers, but will also serve attorneys of all experience levels as a great refresher course.

This half-day seminar will cover many facets involved in mediation issues with practical application, hands-on training, and same-day critiques and feedback of their work. Presentations will discuss techniques, strategies, and philosophies for lawyers preparing for mediation of cases. A problem set will be provided prior to the class and we will have some of the state's best mediators to help facilitate this course. 

Stephen D. Kelson, Esq.

Stephen has been practicing law and mediating cases since 2000. He is a shareholder in the Salt Lake City law firm of Christensen & Jensen, where he chairs the firm’s Dispute Resolution Committee. In addition to mediation, his practice includes complex commercial and tort litigation on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. He has represented clients in numerous disputes throughout his career, including business transactions, personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, contracts, insurance coverage, professional liability, real estate, construction and development, probate, business sales and dissolutions, and employment disputes. He is dedicated to assisting parties to resolve their disputes in the most effective, efficient and economical manner.

Nathan D. Alder, Esq.

Nate Alder has been involved in Utah’s mediation community since 1995, the year he returned to Utah and became a lawyer. He studied ADR at Indiana University-Bloomington where he obtained a Masters in public policy (M.P.A.) as well as his law degree (J.D.). Nate received formal mediator training at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Utah Business magazine has named him one of Utah’s top mediators (2012, 2016 Legal Elite). The Utah State Bar honored him with its Peter W. Billings, Sr. Award for Excellence in Dispute Resolution (2012).  Nate is a Court-Qualified Mediator on the Utah State Court Roster of Mediators and is recognized as one of its Master Mediators.

Gregory N. Hoole, Esq.

Greg has been practicing law for more than 20 years and mediates a wide range of cases. He has a great amount of experience in civil litigation and is ranked among Utah’s Legal Elite, named a Mountain States Super Lawyer, and enjoys an AV (preeminent) rating by Martindale-Hubble.

In fact, Greg was one of only four Utah mediators to be named a Mountain States Super Lawyer in Alternative Dispute Resolution in 2020.

Greg worked for the state’s largest law firm before hanging out his own shingle.  He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants throughout his career.  This not only affords him essential insights into the mindsets of both plaintiffs and defense attorneys, but it also allows him to conduct his mediations without any preconceptions or biases, which tend to form after years of advocating only for one side or the other.  Widely respected for his even temperament and professionalism, Greg understands the emotion involved in litigation and is adept at solving even the most complex of problems and bringing parties together.

Karin S. Hobbs, Esq

Karin S. Hobbs, a professional mediator for the past 20 years, is known for her ability to close complex and emotionally charged cases. She has mediated over 6,000 cases, including complex commercial cases, class actions, family cases involving substantial assets and contested custody, catastrophic injury, sexual assault and abuse, personal injury, insurance, probate, construction, employment and appellate cases. She has mediated and co-mediated many complex multi-party cases.

Ms. Hobbs graduated from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney School of Law in 1985. Upon passing the bar exam, she prosecuted attorneys for ethical violations, including disbarment trials, in her role as Bar Counsel for the Utah State Bar. In 1987, she became Judge Pamela T. Greenwood's first law clerk at the Utah Court of Appeals. In 1989, she became a Staff Attorney for the Utah Court of Appeals, working with 7 appellate court judges for over 8 years, reviewing thousands of appeals, including reading docketing statements, motions, and briefs and preparing per curiam opinions. In 1995, Ms. Hobbs left the court briefly to serve as Deputy Director of the Division of Child and Family Services where she managed implementation of a Consent Decree. She returned to the Utah Court of Appeals and began working with the court to conceptualize and implement the Appellate Mediation Office. In 1998, she was selected as Chief Appellate Mediator for the Utah Court of Appeals. Ms. Hobbs mediated approximately 400 appellate cases for the Utah Court of Appeals over her 4 years. In 2001, Ms. Hobbs opened her private mediation practice and has maintained a busy and varied mediation practice.

Join us (and send your associates!) November 12th, 2021. Only $100 for UDLA members and $125 for non-members. Lunch included!