West Bloomfield, Michigan

Primary Area of Expertise Executive Employment Contracts Employee Classification Franchise

Attorney, arbitrator, mediator, court-appointed neutral, facilitator, and fact-finder of labor, employment, commercial, and public interest disputes. For the last 25 years has led the Mediation Tribunal Association, which is the largest court-mandated case evaluation agency in Michigan.<br/><br/>Chair-Elect of the ADR Section of the Michigan State Bar, co-chairs its committee on Diversity and Inclusion, a member of PREMi, the Michigan Regional Chair of WIDR (Women in Dispute Resolution), the Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals (NACAN), and a board member and chairperson of the ADR section of the Wolverine Bar Association (WBA).

Lisa W. Timmons, PLLC

Arbitrator, Mediator, Executive Director

Arbitrator/Mediator, Lisa W. Timmons, PLLC, 2013 - Present; Executive Director & ADR Clerk of the Court, Mediation Tribunal Association, 1998 - Present; Adjunct Faculty, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, 2015 - 2019.

Attorney, arbitrator, mediator, and fact-finder of labor, employment, and commercial disputes.<br/><br/>Employment: client representation, mediation, and arbitration in the following subject areas: Title VII, ELCRA, FMLA, ADA, FLSA, EEO, WPA, ADEA, discrimination, disparate treatment and impact, wage and hour disputes, employee classification, discipline, grievances, just cause, collective bargaining agreements, public policy, retaliation, protected activity, Merit System Protection Board, whistleblower claims, at-will employment, workplace investigations, ecclesiastical exception, termination, severance agreements, personnel manuals, independent contractors, unemployment compensation, and covenants not to compete.<br/><br/>Commercial: client representation, mediation, and arbitration in the following subject areas: landlord/tenant law, retaliatory and wrongful eviction, commercial leasing, commercial real estate, Michigan and local liquor license law, tortious interference with a business relationship, contracts and breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, shareholder actions, fraud, subrogation, defamation, specific performance, business incorporation and dissolution, injunctions, declaratory actions, lemon-law, the Consumer Protection Act, franchise law, unjust enrichment, and promissory estoppel.<br/><br/>Representative Matters Include:<br/>• Represented Detroit bar owner in the transfer of state liquor license<br/>• Represented Pontiac business seeking medicinal and recreational cannabis site licensing<br/>• Obtained dismissal for business owner accused of breach of real estate purchase agreement<br/>• Represented local Pastor in a church separation resulting in a settlement agreement<br/>• Represented tax professional drafting franchise agreements to license proprietary tax preparation software<br/>• Represented community college drafting contracts, memorandums, and legal research <br/>• Defended landlord in a seven-day bench trial for unlawful eviction, obtained money judgment in favor of the landlord<br/>• Represented employees in Merit System Protection Board responses and appeals<br/>• Negotiated and drafted severance agreements on behalf of employees<br/>• Drafted personnel manuals and policies for closely-held business owners<br/>• Represented several members/shareholders in business divorce cases both pre-suit and in arbitration<br/>• Defended realtor in allegations of tortious interference of a real estate/property management company<br/>• Defended client in insurance subrogation claims resulting in a settlement agreement<br/>• Facilitated board meeting with executive director and board following an internal investigation<br/>• Contract work for plaintiff employment law firm handling drafting, discovery, and responding to motions.

Highly-experienced ADR professional, attorney, and real estate broker, with a 25-year career litigating and resolving disputes in labor, employment, and commercial matters. Background spans a diverse range of industries from public, federal, and private sector employees, healthcare, insurance, real estate, and colleges and universities. Chair-elect of the ADR Section of the Michigan State Bar Association and frequently asked to speak and write on topics involving employment and labor law, commercial law, and ADR. Proficient in utilizing technology for effective case management and dispute resolution.

• Mediated over 1500 EEO cases for federal sector employees since 1998. Cases involved allegations of failure to accommodate, retaliation for protected activity, disparate treatment, disparate impact, nexus to off-duty conduct, due process, hostile work environment, harassment, and progressive discipline. Often including union officials, pending grievances, and at times contract interpretation issues. <br/>• Mediated commercial and residential real estate issues involving breach of lease agreements, purchase agreements, and/or property management agreements.<br/>• Mediated two disputes involving the discharge of a pastor/minister from a church. Focusing on the ecclesiastical exception, employment agreements, and due process. <br/>• Mediated several post-termination employment matters as early pre-litigation disputes resulting in severance agreements. <br/>• Experience mediating property disputes and claims between creditors, interested persons, and personal representatives in decedent estates and probate matters.

I approach mediation with the sensitivity that the facts to each dispute are unique to the parties. I give them the time and thoroughness they need and deserve, while being mindful that mediation should be an efficient process. Efficiency not only helps to control costs, but it keeps the parties from being unnecessarily entrenched in their positions because of avoidable delays. <br/><br/>My extensive training in ADR allows me to consider a “toolkit” of options that may provide for a successful resolution. I am comfortable and flexible in providing the parties with a range of mediation styles including facilitation, evaluation, and if appropriate a hybrid between the two; based on the needs, positions, and feedback I receive. I do prefer case summaries so that I can have some baseline understanding of the issues prior to the first meeting, but I am open to a format that suits the parties when mediating.

Proficient with Zoom, GoToMeeting, and WebEx. E-signing capability with Adobe Sign and DocuSign. <br/><br/>Conducting in-person and remote hearings based on party preference.

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (JD, cum laude - 2013); Wayne State University (MA, Dispute Resolution - 1997); Michigan State University (BA, Communications - 1989).

Admitted to the Bar: Michigan (2013).<br/>Real Estate Broker, Michigan.

Michigan State Bar (District H Character and Fitness Committee; Representative Assembly, 3rd Circuit of Michigan); American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Law Section; Michigan Regional Chair and Publications Editor, WIDR, Women in Dispute Resolution, Subcommittee of the ADR Section); Detroit Bar Association (Board of Directors); Wolverine Bar Association (Board of Directors; Chairperson, Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution); Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA), National, Oregon, New Jersey, Houston, and Detroit Regions; Oakland County Bar Association; Federal Bar Association; Fellow, American Bar Foundation; ArbitralWomen; The Labor Guild; Society of Federal Labor and Employee Relations Professionals.

• Panelist, Addressing Gender Neutral & Gender Identity Considerations in Bargaining & Labor Relations, Association of Labor Relations Agencies (ALRA), 2024 Annual Conference<br/>• Author, Early dispute resolution: Practices and principles for early settlement, Michigan Bar Journal, June 2024<br/>• Author, Newly Neutral, Oakland County Legal News, February 27, 2024<br/>• Panelist and Author, Grievance Arbitration Report, State and Local Government Bargaining and Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, ABA Labor and Employment Law Section, January 2024<br/>• Moderator, Bankruptcy Lunch & Learn, WIDR of the ABA and the Wolverine Bar Association, November 28, 2023<br/>• Panelist, Meet the Diverse Neutrals, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, October 5, 2023<br/>• Marketization and Its Discontents, Book Review, LERA Perspectives on Work, 2023, pp. 100-101. <br/>• Panelist, Just Cause—How Arbitrators Rule, Arbitrator & Advocate Symposium, sponsored by NAA, LERA, and FMCS, Columbus, Ohio, October 2023<br/>• Moderator, Discrimination in Dispute Resolution, with Dan Berstein, State Bar of Michigan ADR Section, Annual Meeting, September 2023<br/>• Moderator and Panelist, Turning No into Not Yet: Neutrals Discuss Their Path to Practice, State Bar of Michigan ADR Section, Annual Meeting, September 2023<br/>• Moderator, Case Evaluation 2023, Lessons Learned One Year after the Court Rule Change, State Bar of Michigan ADR Section, Annual Meeting, September 2023<br/>• Panelist, Optimal Virtual and Hybrid Hearings, Association of Labor Relations Agencies (ALRA), 71st Annual Conference, July 18, 2023<br/>• Symposium Chair, Law and Regulations in the Workplace, LERA Annual Meeting, June 2, 2023<br/>• Panelist, The First Year in a New Arbitration Practice, LERA Annual Meeting, June 2, 2023<br/>• Panelist, The Diversity Dilemma, Is Checking the Box Enough, ADR Section of the ABA, Annual Conference, May 11, 2023<br/>• Speaker, Navigating Change, Case Evaluation, and Tort Cases in Michigan, ADR Section of the ABA, Annual Conference, May 10, 2023<br/>• Moderator, What’s the Fallout? State Whistleblower Claims and Other Torts, ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee, Midwinter Meeting, March 14, 2023<br/>• Moderator, Michigan AFSCME Council 25 v Wayne Co., State Bar of Michigan Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, February 7, 2023<br/>• Panelist, Michigan Legal Diversity Summit, Building a More Equitable Legal Profession, 2022<br/>• Author, Book Review of “Coffee and Conversations: Inclusion and Belonging,” by Zenell B. Brown, Detroit Lawyer, Detroit Bar Association, (February 2021)<br/>• Featured in Detroit Lawyer, “From a Tiny Acorn into a Mighty Oak: The Story of Mediation/Case Evaluation in Michigan,” by Sheldon L. Miller, (February 2021)<br/>• Moderator, Diversifying the Practice of ADR: Lessons Learned Mediating in Diverse Communities and Conflicts, State Bar of Michigan, ADR Section Annual Meeting, 2021<br/>• Panelist, Million Dollar Questions in Mediation, State Bar of Michigan, ADR Section, 2021

Metro-Detroit Area.

$325 Per Hour

English

United States of America

West Bloomfield, MI

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