Spotlight: Dave Connor

Mon, Sep 9th, 2024 | by Miles Mediation and Arbitration | Get to Know our Neutrals | Social Share

By Kelly K. James

Dave Connor has mediated cases for nearly 40 years as an attorney and is excited about becoming a full-time mediator for Miles Mediation & Arbitration.

“Florida led the country in mediation, and I started mediating in 1987,” says Dave. “My most notable mediations were complex commercial cases, and the largest involved LLC disputes and trust/probate cases, as well as eminent domain cases.”

Dave has mediated many cases involving multiple family branches. These cases are “similar to divorce in the sense that emotions are running high, and the relationships are deep and longstanding,” says Dave. “Frequently you’re mediating non-legal issues that are hanging in the air but are not adequately represented by what’s on paper.”

Mediation is a great option for both kinds of cases. “Unlike the courtroom, where the issues must be framed in the terms of the law and facts, mediation creates an environment in which you can actually address the underlying issues without any restriction of what people can talk about,” he explains. “It allows a much freer opportunity to relieve legal stresses that can’t be remedied in court.”

Eminent domain cases, on the other hand, pit a unified family business or other business against the government in a unique context where the business is forced to liquidate all or part of a valuable real estate asset under pressure. Here, the emphasis is helping the family or non-family business managers turn what can frequently be considered an emergency or even existential threat to the business into, at best, an opportunity to enhance the business.

Dave has a depth of experience with all forms of commercial and business cases. The key to these cases goes beyond a grasp of the relevant law. “You must come in with a certain understanding of the law but the best business mediators have a gift for talking to businesspeople in terms they understand,” he says. “It’s like translating. It’s not atypical that the parties arrive at mediation, especially if on the eve of trial, at odds with their own lawyers. They need a form of translator. Sometimes they need that to deal with their own client.”

And speaking of translating, Dave is bilingual, and speaks Spanish fluently. He’s rated “advanced” by ACTFL, the primary American rating organization for bilingualism. “I’ve used Spanish in the practice of law for decades,” he says. “I can move through almost any situation in Spanish.”

Away From the Mediation Room

Dave and his wife, Barb, have two daughters and two young granddaughters who live nearby. Barb is a painter who spends a lot of time working on her art (when she’s not being a grandma).

Now that he’s retired from the practice of law, Dave’s had time to pick up some new interests. “I’ve taken up the fiddle,” he says. “A couple of hours of day, I saw away at it.” He plays other instruments, including the guitar, but the fiddle is an exceptionally difficult instrument to master. “It’s so hard to get something right and produce a sound that anyone wants to listen to,” he adds. “But then you get a dopamine hit …when you hit that sweet spot.”

Davie will base his practice out of Tampa and serve the central Florida area. He’s excited about
mediating full-time. “This is a paying occupation but beyond that I like to feel like I can help,” he says. “I know how much good mediators helped me as an attorney. Lawyers often have ridiculous practical demands on their time and energy. I would love to collaborate with lawyers I have worked with before and help them the way mediators have helped me.”

ABOUT MILES MEDIATION & ARBITRATION

Miles Mediation & Arbitration is shaping the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) industry with our comprehensive professional services model that combines the expertise of our highly skilled, diverse panel of neutrals with an unparalleled level of client support to guide and empower parties to fair, timely, and cost-effective resolution regardless of case size, specialization, or complexity. For more information, please call 888-305-3553 or email support@milesadr.com.