Christopher M. Shulman

Christopher M. Shulman has mediated more than 4,000 disputes and served as arbitrator, hearing officer, or decision-writer in approximately 2500 adjudicative matters.

An alumnus of Stetson University College of Law, Chris is a 30-year lawyer who spent the first approximately 10 years of his practice representing individuals, labor unions, and employers in connection with a variety of statutory, contractual, and common-law employment law claims. He also handled general practice, business, and personal injury matters for individuals. He is a member of the Florida Bar and admitted to practice before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida. 

From 1995 to 2001, Chris mediated on and off, but, since January 2002, Chris has essentially limited his practice to service as a neutral dispute resolution professional; the only real client representation work he currently does is in the field of estate planning and probate.  He is a member of the Florida Circuit-Civil Mediator Society and a member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (of which he is also a member of the Executive Committee).  Chris Shulman is a certified Florida Circuit, Family, and County Court Mediator, and a Federal Court Mediator.  He mediates and arbitrates cases for the American Arbitration Association (AAA), the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) Dispute Resolution Service, and privately, including labor disputes through AAA, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and a number of permanent panels.  He is also on the current Florida Public Employees' Relations Commission's (PERC's) list of Impasse Special Magistrates.  For eight years, he served as a Hillsborough County Childcare Licensing Hearing Officer and, over approximately the past four years, as a Wage Theft Special Magistrate for Pinellas County (and for the City of St. Petersburg, during that program’s existence).  Recently, Chris was admitted to the National Academy of Arbitrators (NAA), and serves as the NAA's Southeast Regional Chair.

Chris served two four-year terms on the Florida Supreme Court’s Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee, and, as of June 2020, completed his second four-year term as a member of the Florida Supreme Court’s ADR Rules and Policy Committee; he is currently in his second four-year term on the Florida Supreme Court’s Mediator Qualifications and Disciplinary Review Board (where he served as the Chair of the Qualifications Inquiry Committee, 2018 – 2019).  He has also served as co-chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association ADR Committee. An approved Primary Circuit Civil and County Mediator Trainer, and a Florida Court-Appointed Arbitrator Trainer, Chris is also an Adjunct Professor at Stetson University College of Law, teaching Negotiation and Mediation and law student Mediator Training classes.

Published Labor Awards:

• Palm Beach County (FL) Schools, 2017 LA Supp. 201032 (July 2017)
• Palm Beach County (FL) Schools, 2017 LA Supp. 200968 (June 2017)
• Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, 2017 LA Supp. 200763 (February 2017)
• City of Hialeah (FL), 2016 LA Supp. 205249 (November 2016)
• Miami-Dade County Transit, 2015 LA Supp. 199232 (November 2015)
• U.S. Forest Service, 68 FLRA 90 (Arbitration Award: March 2014; FLRA Decision affirming Award: November 2014)

• Stetson University College of Law, St. Petersburg, FL Juris Doctor cum laude, May 1991
• Honors and Activities: Research Editor, Stetson Law Review
• Published Law Review Case Note; won Leeman Award for best student writing
• Public Service Fellow Judicial Intern to Hon. Elizabeth A. Jenkins, U.S. Magistrate Judge
• Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, May 1987

• National Academy of Arbitrators (NAA)
• NAA Southeast Region Regional Chair
• American Arbitration Association (Large and Complex Case (LCC) Panel: Arbitrator; Commercial/Employment Panel: Mediator; Arbitrator)
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida (Mediator and Arbitrator)
• Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (Labor Arbitrator)
• State of Florida Public Employees Relations Commission Impasse Special Master
• Impartial Decisionmaker Registry for Senior Connection Center, Inc. 
• Randolph-Sheppard Act Blind Services Bid Arbitrator 
• Medical Peer Review Hearing Officer 
• Pinellas County Wage Theft Special Magistrate
• American College of Civil Trial Mediators (Fellow; Prior)
• Next Generation Divorce Collaborative Practice Group (Neutral Facilitator)
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (Member)
• Collins Center for Public Policy, Inc. (DFS Hurricane Mediator)
• Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. Solutions Program (External Mediator)
• Resolute Systems, Inc. (Mediator)
• Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium (Mediator)
• Florida Division of Land Sales, Condominiums and Mobile Homes (HOA Dispute Mediator)
• Florida Department of Financial Services (Homeowners Insurance Presuit Claims Mediator)
• Florida Supreme Court ADR Rules and Policy Committee (2012 – date)
• Florida Supreme Court Mediator Qualifications and Disciplinary Review Board (2016 – date)
• Florida Supreme Court Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee (2000 – 2008)
• Hearing Officer, Hillsborough County Childcare Licensing Board (2001 – 2012)
• Florida Bar, Labor & Employment Law Section (1992- date)
• Florida Bar Clients' Security Fund Committee (1994-2003; Chair, 1998-99)
• Florida Academy of Professional Mediators, Inc. (2002 to date; Board of Directors 2005-06)
• Hillsborough County Bar Association (1999 - date; ADR Committee Co-Chair)

Mediation: $500/hour, with minimum engagements and late cancellation or late postponement fees: see https://shulmanadrlaw.com/mediator-fees for details.

Arbitration:

Non-Labor Arbitration services (other than labor arbitration) are billed at the rate of $500/hour, subject to certain minimums and late cancellation/postponement (fees as stated apply unless court order, agency order, or published panel/roster rates dictate different rate, in which case that rate governs): https://shulmanadrlaw.com/arbitrator-fees for details.

Labor Arbitration services (i.e., union-management grievance arbitration matters) are billed at the rate of $2,000/day of hearing (with late cancellation/postponement fees), or $1,000/half-day for nonhearing work: see https://shulmanadrlaw.com/arbitrator-fees/labor-arbitration-services for details.