Linda Bond Edwards, Esq.
Attorney, Arbitrator, Mediator
Tallahassee, Florida
- Employment Law
- Fair Labor Standards Act
10+ years Fortune 100 human resources experience<br/>29 years employment law litigation in State and federal court and administrative agencies<br/>Non profit board leadership experience<br/>Alumnae level sorority leadership (Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.)<br/>Co-chair firm diversity committee
Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell - Of Counsel (Tallahassee Office)
Attorney, Arbitrator, Mediator
Of Counsel, Rumberger Kirk and Caldwell, 2023-Present; Partner, Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, 2006-2023; Partner, Allen Norton & Blue PA, 2003-2006; Attorney, William E. Powers PA, 1993-2003; Human Resources positions, GTE Corporation, 1979-1992.
Commercial: Cases in excess of $500,000<br/>Breach of contract, breach of employment contract, breach of settlement agreements, franchise disputes, time share dispute, other contract disputes. <br/><br/>Medical malpractice, nursing home litigation<br/><br/>Fair Debt Collection <br/><br/>Employment law: <br/>Race, Gender, National Origin, Color and Religious discrimination, pursuant to Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Florida State law, FMLA, ADA, ADEA, NLRA <br/>EEOC and Florida Commission on Human Relations <br/>State and Federal court trial experience<br/><br/>Represented employees/plaintiffs but mainly employers. <br/>Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Collective Actions and Single Plaintiff Claims <br/>Wage and hour claims, overtime, minimum wage, misclassification cases, independent contractor misclassification <br/><br/>Employment related intentional torts such as defamation, tortious interference with business relationships, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring and negligent retention. <br/><br/>Industries:<br/>Hospitality<br/>Public safety<br/>Entertainment<br/>Retail<br/>Health Care<br/>Franchise <br/><br/>Represented private sector employers before the National Labor Relations Board during organizing attempts, election challenges, decertification proceedings, unfair labor practices. <br/><br/>Chief negotiator in public and private collective bargaining.
Has served as a mediator in approximately 100 cases including employment discrimination cases for public and private sector. Personal injury, contract disputes, foreclosure, landlord tenant, probate disputes, auto accidents. Personal injury also includes auto accidents.
Personal injury between parent and day care center. Private and Public entity employment discrimination, race, gender, retaliation. Foreclosure disputes.
The mediator's role is to guide the parties to resolving their dispute. During the opening session, the mediator begins to instill the subliminal mind set of resolving the matter. To reach resolution, the mediator must remind parties of the positive and empowering aspects of mediation and their ability to direct the outcome of the dispute rather than leaving it up to someone else. To continue the process of focusing on resolution, the mediator must be a good listener and be able to discern each party's interest in order to help each party meet the other's needs. The mediator has to remain neutral and communicate in a firm yet non-threatening and authoritative manner.
Florida State University (JD, moot court-1995); University of Tennessee Martin (BS, Business Administration-1979)
Admitted to the Bar, Florida (1995); Circuit Civil Mediation, Florida (2002); all federal courts in Florida and the Eleventh Circuit.
Florida Bar; 2nd Judicial Circuit Professionalism Panel; 2nd Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission (Past Chair); Tallahassee Women Lawyers ( President, Board Member; CLE and Breakfast for Books Chair); Big Bend Society of Human Resources (Human Resources Tallahassee Conference); Florida State University College of Law Alumni Association (President Board of Directors); National Bar Association (Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter); Tallahassee Barristers; Chair Florida Bar Standing Committee on Judicial Nominating Procedures, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Member Board of Directors: To the Village Square (facilitates and encourages civil discourse) and Institute for Non-Profit Innovation and Excellence, Women's Law Division National Bar Association. Florida International University Advisory Panel for Executive Women of Influence Certificate Program
Speaking Engagements:<br/>Emerald Coast SHRM 3-Hour Employment Law, May 2010; "Why You're Still Being Sued for Overtime," Bay County SHRM, April 2010; "Turning an HR Audit into an Investment," Big Bend SHRM, June 2010; Greater Pensacola SHRM Legal Conference, 2010; "Alternative Dispute Programs for Employment Disputes," Big Bend SHRM, 2009; "Employment Law Update," Paralegal Conference of Florida, May 2008; "Relearning the Employment Law Alphabet," Greater Pensacola Society for Human Resources, April 9, 2008; "Personal Liability in Employment Lawsuits," Big Bend Society for Human Resources, November 2007; "FMLA Update," Council on Education and Management, May 2007, Sexual Harassment Training 2018.<br/><br/>Publications:<br/>Five Reasons Why Your Sexual Harassment Training Isn't Working, JD Supra, 2017; A Look Through the Looking Glass: The JNC and Judicial Nominating Process "Deconstructed," Florida Bar Journal, June 2018; Gender Dysphoria, the ADA and What it Means to Employers, JD Supra, August 2022; What is Work (Look at the Fair Labor Standards Act),Florida Manufactured Homes Association, October 2021; Human Resources: How Leaders Lead, the First or Next Chapter, Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBVF), April 2022; HR Tallahassee Pay Equity, FLSA and Dealing with the DOL, May 2022; Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship Communicating in Your Organization, June 2022; Employment Law Hot Topics Florida Clerks of Court and Comptrollers, November 2022; Ethics Training for Florida Clerks of Court and Comptrollers, February 2023.<br/>
No travel charges for locations within 50 miles of Tallahassee, Florida
$450 Per Hour
English
United States of America
Tallahassee, FL
The AAA’s Rules provide the AAA with the authority to administer a mediation including, mediator appointment, general oversight and billing. Accordingly, mediations that proceed without AAA administration are not considered AAA mediations, even when the parties select an mediator who is on the AAA’s Roster.
The information contained in this resume has been supplied solely by the individual mediator and may, or may not, be a complete recitation of their experience. The AAA assumes no responsibility for the content, completeness, accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in a mediator’s resume. If you have any questions about a mediator’s experience or background, you are encouraged to contact your case manager.
Mediators on the AAA Roster are not employees or agents of the AAA.
The information contained in this resume has been supplied solely by the individual mediator and may, or may not, be a complete recitation of their experience. The AAA assumes no responsibility for the content, completeness, accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in a mediator’s resume. If you have any questions about a mediator’s experience or background, you are encouraged to contact your case manager.
Mediators on the AAA Roster are not employees or agents of the AAA.
