Widman Law Offices

Widman Law Offices provides over 40 years of legal experience in arbitration, mediation, and litigation. A pioneer in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Stuart M. Widman was among the first practitioners to embrace the value of resolving disputes through ADR and avoiding costly and stressful litigation among parties in conflict. He has a national reputation as both a thoughtful and committed neutral and strategic litigator. In both ADR and litigation proceedings he strives to deliver justice efficiently and effectively. Mr. Widman has recently focused on his neutral practice, as an arbitrator and mediator.

ADR Pioneer And Leader

Stuart has helped shape the practice and ethics in his fields. In the early years of ADR development, he served as an original member of the Illinois Supreme Court’s ADR Advisory Committee, and since 1998 has been on the American Arbitration Association select national teaching faculty on Arbitration. He has consulted internationally on arbitration and mediation, taught in law schools, has published 32 articles, chapters and guidebooks on litigation and ADR, and has spoken at over 70 bar association, webinar, and dispute resolution programs throughout the U.S. He explores cutting edge issues that are frequently cited by others. See Resume.

Insightful, Analytical, Cost-Effective

Stuart offers a unique skill set from decades of being a “judge” of hundreds of disputes and an advocate in court on a wide array of matters. This experience makes him an efficient neutral in arbitrations and mediations and a wise strategist in litigation. Using his business education, he quickly and decisively evaluates submissions and arguments, facts and law, to get the right answers at the least cost to clients and parties. He keeps alert for ways to smartly manage discovery, avoid wasteful motions, and focus on the most important issues.

Neutral Experience

Mr. Widman has been an arbitrator for over 34 years and mediator for over 30 years. He has handled over 200 arbitrations and over 110 mediations, with a combined value of $3.0 billion. Given his experience, he is often the sole arbitrator (over 100 cases) or panel chair (over 35 cases). As an arbitrator, he has authored over 70 final or interim awards and hundreds of rulings on every aspect of case management. As a mediator, he has a 65% settlement rate. The AAA has designated him a “Master Mediator”.

Subject Matter Exposure

As a neutral and litigator, Mr. Widman’s experience covers virtually every commercial subject area and industry. He has handled statutory, contractual, and common law disputes in federal and state trial and appellate courts and ADR proceedings in:

  • Healthcare/Bio-Pharma
  • E-Commerce
  • Construction
  • Finance
  • Transportation
  • Utilities
  • Communications
  • Manufacturing/Equipment
  • Retail/Consumer
  • International
  • Securities
  • Corporate/Partnership
  • Employment/Sales Representative
  • Real Estate/Environment
  • Class Actions
  • Intellectual Property
  • Licensing
  • Services/Supplies/Distribution
  • Sales/UCC
  • Insurance
  • Franchise
  • Food/Agriculture
  • Professional/Legal
  • Education
  • Government/Military
  • Commodities
  • Printing/Packaging/Publishing
  • Marital/Estate Planning
  • Sports
  • Entertainment.

Neutral And Litigation Services

Widman Law Offices offers the following services nationwide:

  • Arbitration – as sole arbitrator or panel member; as party-appointed arbitrator; for bi-lateral, multi-party, and class or collective arbitrations; for specialty disputes (such as sports disputes); as advocate in arbitration; as consultant on arbitration processes
  • Mediation – mediator on bi-lateral, multi-party, or class claims; video, telephone or email mediation; as advocate in mediation
  • Litigation – as advocate in trial or appellate matters
  • Neutral Evaluation – assessment or strategic analysis for one party of claims and defenses; outcome evaluation of litigation, appeal or ADR proceedings
  • Mock Arbitration – neutral evaluation of simulated and truncated proceedings
  • Financial Evaluation – risk analysis of claims and defenses as basis for litigation or arbitration financing decisions
  • Consulting on ADR Systems – advice on establishing business-wide ADR protocol
  • Contracting – advice on drafting ADR provisions for agreements
  • Expert Witness - on arbitration, mediation, litigation, and ethics
  • Educational Presentations – speaking at business meetings on dispute resolution, and seminars on ADR systems and techniques
  • Hearing Venue – private conference rooms and office facilities for ADR proceedings where Mr. Widman is the neutral.