Beyond the Bench – Effective Mediation

The NYS Academy of Trial Lawyers is the largest statewide trial bar in the US with 5,700+ lawyer and judge members. We are committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing the civil justice system. Our highly acclaimed CLE programming features extraordinary presenters covering the most timely and important topics.

The Hon. John J. Ark joined NAM after serving as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court for over 28 years. He has presided over matters in each of the eight counties in the Seventh Judicial District, as well as serving five terms in New York County. Judge Ark's remarkable judicial career includes eight years serving as a supervising judge supervising over 700 toxic torts cases, five years handling and supervising nearly 20,000 matrimonial matters, and tried scores of major crimes while sitting in the criminal part, including nearly two dozen homicides. Prior to becoming a Supreme Court Justice, Judge Ark practiced law for 19 years while serving for 14 years as a Brighton Town Justice, two years as an acting Rochester City Court Judge, and five years as an Assistant District Attorney for Monroe County. He taught business law at the University of Rochester and tax law at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and was also an instructor at the New York Office of Court Administration's Advanced Judicial Training.

After an illustrious legal career in public service as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, District Attorney, and Prosecutor, the Hon. E. Michael Kavanagh joined NAM's (National Arbitration and Mediation) esteemed panel of neutrals. Judge Kavanagh was appointed to the Appellate Division by the Governor of New York State in 2006. He served as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division in the First Judicial Department (Manhattan) from 2006 to 2008. He then served as an Associate Justice in the Third Judicial Department (Albany). During his tenure as an Associate Justice, he authored numerous opinions involving significant legal issues raised during litigation arising from the State's Supreme, County, Family, and Surrogate Courts. Prior to his appointment to the Appellate Division, Judge Kavanagh spent eight years as a trial judge in the Supreme Court, where he presided over complex civil litigation actions concerning personal injury, medical malpractice, negligence, Labor Law, products liability, administrative regulatory reform, tax certiorari, and contested matrimonial disputes. While on the Supreme Court bench, he ruled on civil matters in Ulster, Albany, Sullivan, Columbia, Greene, and New York Counties.

The Honorable Robert J. Lunn served as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second and Fourth Departments, and as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Monroe County, presiding over thousands of matters across a wide range of case types. He has been recognized for the quality of his judicial and legal work by a variety of organizations, including the Monroe County Bar, the Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys, and the Rochester Black Bar Association. In January 1995, Judge Lunn was elected to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the Seventh Judicial District, with primary chambers located in Rochester, Monroe County, where he served as a trial court judge for ten years, presiding over all types of cases, including personal injury, commercial, and matrimonial matters. Judge Lunn also spent several terms in New York County, and in 2005, he was appointed by then-Governor George Pataki to the Appellate Division, where he spent four years as an Associate Justice for both the Second and Fourth Judicial Departments. Judge Lunn retired from the bench in 2008 to return to private practice, where he actively mediated and arbitrated a multitude of cases throughout New York City and Upstate New York. He also served ten years on the Pattern Jury Committee to revise and update the annual publication of pattern jury instructions. Judge Lunn is a seasoned mediator and arbitrator at NAM, where he handles a wide range of hearings from personal injury to commercial, including nursing home disputes, medical malpractice, and sexual abuse cases.