Greg Parent
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
-Theodore Roosevelt
“To learn through listening, practice it naively and actively. Naively means that you listen openly, ready to learn something, as opposed to listening defensively, ready to rebut. Listening actively means you acknowledge what you heard and act accordingly.”
–Betsy Sanders
HOW I LIKE TO MEDIATE
These two quotes succinctly summarize my style of helping people reach resolution. My mission in every mediation is to be useful to the parties. Some of my utility comes from my extensive experience, having practiced law for more than 25 years, following 3 years as a claims specialist. As a mediator for the past 14 years, I bring a sincere and genuine intellectual curiosity aimed at listening, learning, and understanding with compassion and empathy. In addition, I prepare exhaustively for every mediation by devouring any materials provided to me in advance or meeting with the attorneys to discuss nuanced matters of first impression, including potential hurdles due to clashing personalities. Finally, I am relentless and indefatigable with respect to the effort I put into to each mediation. I have worked on a mediation for three days straight, for more than 12-hours a day in order to reach an agreement. I have also helped settle cases 18 months after the initial mediation halted due to an impasse.
BIOGRAPHY
Greg is one of the most sought-after neutrals in Georgia. Unrivaled because of his comprehensive experience as a claims adjuster, defense attorney, and plaintiff’s attorney, Greg has parlayed his extensive claims and litigation background into a very successful, award-winning career as a mediator and arbitrator. Greg’s unique and uncanny ability to connect with people from all walks of life helps him resolve matters when there are difficult clients or clashing egos between attorneys involved in the litigation.
He has mediated thousands of civil litigation cases, including:
- Nursing home cases, dealing in wide-ranging case-specific issues relating to everything from decubitus ulcers and associated bed sores, failure to change care plans, malnutrition, patient abuse, failure to monitor, administering the wrong meds, failure to properly assist for bathing and toileting, fellow resident abuse, failure to assess and modify care plan, falls, and lack of supervision
- Wrongful death
- Premises liability: shooting, rape, robbery, burglary, trespass, water runoff, sewage backup, nuisance, slip and fall
- Medical malpractice
- Business litigation: contract disputes, professional business dissolution, HOA covenant enforcement
- Class action
- Motor carrier, common carrier, and automobile accidents
- Toxic tort
- Construction defect
- Municipal and county liability
Education
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Juris Doctor, 1998
- Phi Delta Phi
- First Year Class President
- Student Body Vice President
- Honor Court Justice
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A. Journalism and Mass Communications, 1992
- National Merit Scholar
- Chancellor’s Scholar
- Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity
- Student Television Cameraman
Admitted to Practice
- Georgia, 1998
- U.S. Supreme Court
- 11th Circuit Court of Appeals U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia
- Georgia Supreme Court
- Georgia Court of Appeals
- Georgia State and Superior Courts
Professional or Trade Affiliations
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
- Gate City Bar Association
- National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
- Georgia State Bar Association
Honors and Awards
- 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Super Lawyers.
- 2019 Best Mediator/Arbitrator in Georgia in the Daily Report’s Best Of annual survey.
- 2018 Best Mediator/Arbitrator in Georgia in the Daily Report’s Best Of annual survey.
- 2017 Best Mediator/Arbitrator in Georgia in the Daily Report’s Best Of annual survey.
- 2016 Best Mediator/Arbitrator in Georgia in the Daily Report’s Best Of annual survey.
- 2005 Georgia Super Lawyer Rising Star.