April Y. Walker

April Walker began her legal career in the General Litigation department of Carlton Fields in Tampa, Florida. She left the Tampa office to clerk for the late Stephan P. Mickle, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Florida in Gainesville.

Years later, April rejoined Carlton Fields as an associate attorney in the Orlando business litigation group. She was elected to shareholder in 2015. Her practice focuses included general litigation, employment, business litigation, loan servicing and consumer financial services litigation. April also gained experience working alongside employers in their investigation of hostile work environment allegations.

While she thoroughly enjoyed working with clients to develop and implement litigation strategies, April determined to shift the focus of her work to facilitating the resolution of disputes.  April joined Upchurch Watson White and Max Mediation Group in 2018, the same year she was recognized by peers as a Florida Trend's Florida Legal Elite in Commercial Litigation. 

April trained at Harvard Law School's Negotiation Institute and Program on Negotiation. 

She is a Florida Supreme Court certified circuit and appellate mediator. She is a certified U.S. District Court mediator for the Middle District of Florida. She is trained in Elder Law Mediation and Shared Family Decision-Making Mediation.  While mediation is her primary (and preferred) practice focus, she is also a Florida Supreme Court qualified arbitrator.

April is a member of the Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, and she routinely mediates matters pending in these courts.  As a former member of the Southern District of Florida, she often mediates matters pending in South Florida's federal courts. She routinely mediates pre-litigation (pre-suit) matters. She is available to mediate any dispute with the consent of all parties of interest.

April brings to her mediation practice significant litigation experience, advanced mediation training, exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, and enthusiasm for the field of conflict resolution. She is energetic, pragmatic, and compassionate. 

• University of Florida, J.D.,1997
• Duke University, A.B., 1993
• Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation, Advanced Mediation: Mediating Complex Disputes, Certificate, 2021
• Harvard Law School Negotiation Institute, Mediating Disputes, Certificate, 2018

• The Florida Bar
• U.S. District Courts, Northern and Middle Districts of Florida
• The American College of Civil Mediators

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