Strategic Mediation: Guiding the Parties to Resolution

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.

Christina Sonsire is a partner at the Ziff Law Firm in Elmira, New York, where she represents plaintiffs in personal injury and medical malpractice cases. Christina currently serves on the Academy's Board of Directors as Vice President for the Third Department. She also sits on the Judicial Screening Committee, responsible for interviewing candidates for the New York State Court of Appeals and making recommendations to the Governor. Christina attended law school at the University of Montana, was an undergraduate soccer star at Georgetown University, and has always been involved with public service.

James E. Morris is an experienced litigator, judge, and a long-time principal in Morris & Morris. Over the course of his distinguished career representing clients, he has settled or tried numerous cases, many involving multimillion-dollar settlements, and total settlements now exceed $20 million. In addition, he served for 33 years as a Brighton (NY) Town Justice, and periodically served as Acting City Court Judge for the City of Rochester (NY). He is a former president of the New York State Magistrates Association and recipient of its Magistrate of the Year award. He has been recognized since 2005, in each annual edition of The Best Lawyers in America, a publication universally regarded as a guide to legal excellence in the United States. Listing in the publication is the result of an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 16,000 of the leading attorneys in the nation confidentially evaluate their professional peers. Mr. Morris has most recently been nominated for Fellowship in the honorary trial lawyer society, Litigation Counsel of America. James Morris also holds Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review’s AV rating (the highest possible), which is considered the gold standard in the legal community. The rating is based on the confidential opinions of bar association members and the judiciary, and attests to his professional legal ability and ethics. In 2002 he was named a Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, an elite nationwide group of mediators and dispute resolution professionals known for their skill, ethical standards, and professional commitment, and is now a member of the Board of Directors for that professional organization. For more than 20 years, plaintiffs’ attorneys, defense attorneys, in-house counsel, insurers, and business professionals throughout Upstate New York have turned to him to mediate or arbitrate high-end liability, contract, and commercial disputes. He is particularly adept at mediating complex cases, involving significant financial issues, numerous parties, or both, and has an outstanding record of getting the parties to reach settlement. He mediated or arbitrated a total of more than 3,000 such disputes in his career as a neutral attorney.

Deborah practices in the area of personal injury litigation, including motor vehicle negligence, premises liability, construction-related accidents, and medical malpractice. She is an experienced litigator who moved back to Rochester in 2003 to join her family's law firm, started by her grandfather over 75 years ago. Prior to that, she practiced for eight years in Washington D.C. She earned her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University and her law degree with High Honors from George Washington University, where she was a member of the George Washington Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif. Deborah was appointed by the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, to serve on the Committee on Character and Fitness for the 7th Judicial District. She also serves on the Academy's Board of Directors.