Mediation Experience
David Lehman has a foundation of more than forty years of civil trial experience representing individual and business clients in a wide array of substantive disputes. Certified as a mediator by the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, he served in the Federal Court's mediation program from its inception in 1994, through 2009. In recognition of his experience and, more important, his skill in mediation of civil disputes, he is now regularly engaged by parties for private mediation of their disputes.
David Lehman has served as a court-appointed arbitrator in the Dauphin County mandatory civil case arbitration program, and he is regularly selected as an arbitrator in arbitrations that take place outside the judicial system. Although arbitration is a decidedly different process than mediation, David's selection for service as an arbitrator serves as confirmation of parties' confidence in his fairness, substantive experience, and sound judgment. His arbitration experience gives a depth of perspective to mediation discussions with parties where the ultimate decision regarding outcome rests with them and not a separate authority figure.
Mediation experience, by subject matter
Although each mediation case presents unique circumstances, David Lehman's completed mediations have covered a wide array of substantive areas. In that respect, they reflect the breadth of his litigation experience over the past forty years. By subject matter they include:
- Access and right-of-way dispute
- Accountant liability and auditor liability
- Appraiser professional liability
- Assessment appeals (real property taxes)
- Business ownership and governance disputes
- Civil rights claims
- Clergy and church liability for personal misconduct toward minors/parishioners
- Construction contract disputes - defective construction; costs to remedy defective work
- Contract dispute - supply contract price adjustment
- Contract disputes - failure of performance; rescission
- Contract disputes - purchase and sale of businesses
- Contract disputes - real estate agreements; easement and option rights
- Design professional's liability for construction defects or failure
- Employer/employee disputes - wrongful termination claims; restrictive covenants
- Employment related discrimination and harassment
- Estate related disputes - undue influence over elderly, impaired persons; breach of duty by fiduciary executor/ trustee
- Fire subrogation
- Franchise agreement disputes
- Fraud and misrepresentation
- Insurance coverage - health policies, life policies, annuity contracts
- Land development liability - interference with planning work; rights of neighbors for impacts on their property interest
- Legal malpractice, including legal ethics issues
- Legal practice professional disputes - windup and separation of practices
- Lender liability
- Life insurance policy beneficiary claims
- Medical practice professional disputes - governance, termination, compensation, restrictive covenants
- Patent ownership and invention
- Payment and performance bond claims
- Personal injury - auto and truck accidents
- Personal injury and death claims in worksite accidents (covering a wide array of medical and causation issues)
- Premises liability
- Products liability damage claims - personal injury and property damage
- Shareholder derivative claims against management/directors
- Social service provider liability for deficient services
- Trademark infringement claims - common law and statutory
- Underinsurance claims
- Wrongful death - auto and truck accidents