FN-4748204 MN-4748204 LN-4748204, Esq.
Attorney, Arbitrator, Mediator, Special Master, Board Member
New York, New York
Criscione Ravala LLP - Founding Partner
Attorney, Arbitrator, Mediator, Special Master, Board Member
Founding Partner, Criscione Ravala LLP, 2012-Present; Instructor, Columbia University, 2022-Present; Adjunct Professor of Law, New York Law School, 2019-Present; Vice President, Legal & Business Affairs, Equipment.net, Inc., 2008-2012; Visiting Legal Scholar, UN Office of Legal Affairs, 2008; Law Clerk to Judge Hon. William M. Hoeveler, United States District Court - Southern District of Florida, 2006.
Over 13 years of extensive experience in complex, multi-district, and cross-practice litigations with a focus on commercial contracts, domestic and international business law, and employment law representing both Plaintiffs and Defendants in New York state, federal, and appellate court, as well as in trials, mediation and arbitrations forums across the United States and globally. Additional background working in-house, in private practice, with individuals, executives, embassies, family offices, government officials, and with non-profit organizations at a local, national, and international level, and serving as a Board Member.
In over 100 cases, selected by parties and appointed by court and panels to serve as a mediator in two-party and multi-party disputes ranging from $10,000-$100,000,000 dollars, including pro se and diverse parties. Rosters include: New York State Unified Court System, Commercial Division and Small Claims Part, U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern District of New York. Additional neutral service as Special Master with the Appellate Division of the State of New York, 1st & 2nd Departments, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Commercial & International:
Equipped to review financial statements, myriad of contracts, and governance documents to mediate with founders and executives, including entire Boards to resolve disputes involving by-laws, partnership agreements, dissolution, and breach of contract disputes related to local, national, and global commerce and trade. A sampling of specific mediation experience involves mediating between an international leather goods manufacturer and its New York distributor, a globally recognized condiment brand and intellectual property infringement, a foreign government and its state agency related to breach of maritime contracts and the recognition and enforcement of a foreign arbitral award, a publicly traded fashion retailer related to a commercial lease dispute, an unpaid invoice and breach of promissory note agreement between a heavy equipment vendor and its lessee, an international development group and its finders for procuring high net worth individual and institutional investors in a real estate development project, breach of contract between a software development and a capital markets firm, a broker commissions agreement under a real estate listing agreement, a commercial property insurer related to insurance coverage dispute, a publishing company and a nationally recognized songwriter related to royalty fees, a multi-national investment bank for breach of various security agreements and default on a line of credit related to the purchase of New York city Taxi Medallions, and disputes involving professional services, including for malpractice.
Mediated international investors in disputes related to real estate, investment, and business projects, as well as having the privilege to serve as an NGO-Observer to Working Group III of UNCITRAL as related to the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation.
Employment:
Mediated individual and collective class related to administrative and governmental investigations, and cases including but not limited to, non-compete violations, wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, internal investigation, and severance-related cases in the broker-dealer, construction, finance, food & beverage, healthcare, manufacturing, non-profit, restaurant, retail space, and securities industry.
Community & Non-Profit:
Served as founder, outside legal counsel, and board member on Audit, Development, and Governance Committees, and mediate disputes related to by-laws, conflict of interest policies, and board elections, including serving in a supervisory special referee capacity related to elections.
Commercial & International:
Equipped to review financial statements, myriad of contracts, and governance documents to mediate with founders and executives, including entire Boards to resolve disputes involving by-laws, partnership agreements, dissolution, and breach of contract disputes related to local, national, and global commerce and trade. A sampling of specific mediation experience involves mediating between an international leather goods manufacturer and its New York distributor, a globally recognized condiment brand and intellectual property infringement, a foreign government and its state agency related to breach of maritime contracts and the recognition and enforcement of a foreign arbitral award, a publicly traded fashion retailer related to a commercial lease dispute, an unpaid invoice and breach of promissory note agreement between a heavy equipment vendor and its lessee, an international development group and its finders for procuring high net worth individual and institutional investors in a real estate development project, breach of contract between a software development and a capital markets firm, a broker commissions agreement under a real estate listing agreement, a commercial property insurer related to insurance coverage dispute, a publishing company and a nationally recognized songwriter related to royalty fees, a multi-national investment bank for breach of various security agreements and default on a line of credit related to the purchase of New York city Taxi Medallions, and disputes involving professional services, including for malpractice.
Mediated international investors in disputes related to real estate, investment, and business projects, as well as having the privilege to serve as an NGO-Observer to Working Group III of UNCITRAL as related to the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation.
Employment:
Mediated individual and collective class related to administrative and governmental investigations, and cases including but not limited to, non-compete violations, wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, internal investigation, and severance-related cases in the broker-dealer, construction, finance, food & beverage, healthcare, manufacturing, non-profit, restaurant, retail space, and securities industry.
Community & Non-Profit:
Served as founder, outside legal counsel, and board member on Audit, Development, and Governance Committees, and mediate disputes related to by-laws, conflict of interest policies, and board elections, including serving in a supervisory special referee capacity related to elections.
Agency and distributorships; breach of contract; business law including accounting, books and records, founder and partnership disputes, non-compete, investment, operating agreement, shareholder agreement, business acquisitions, and asset purchase agreements; business litigation; commercial litigation; contracts; cross-border disputes; employment law including but not limited to wage and hour, Title VII, non-competition and severance; foreign investment in the United States; franchise law; import-export law; intellectual property law, including but not limited to copyright infringement, dilution, and false endorsement; insurance law including but not limited to personal injury, insurance and reinsurance; indemnification; international business and commercial law; international distribution; international joint ventures; international litigation; international sale of goods; international treaty law; non-profit and charitable organizations, including but not limited to board elections, by-laws, organizational conflict and grant compliance disputes; partnership law; small business and entrepreneurship.
I believe preparation, organization, and trust are vital ingredients to successful mediation. Since counsels in the dispute are already well-prepared, I tend to design my mediations to first have a deep understanding of the facts, law, and key players myself, without losing the balance of my role as a facilitator of settlement. I start by having a facilitative approach to mediation, letting the parties exercise self-determination to control their process, and interjecting when required. However, I do not shy away from an evaluative approach, when needed, but usually, defer that approach to a later part of the mediation. I remain open-minded throughout the process but focus on the goals of the parties, the rules of the tribunal, and the integrity of the overall mediation process.
Experienced in in-person and remote conferences via telephone and video, including but not limited to Zoom, GoToMeeting, and Microsoft Teams. Intimately familiar with ESI issues, and proficient in Adobe, Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, Contract Management, Time and Billing, among others.
Syracuse University College of Law (JD-2008); Syracuse University x Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs (MA, Economics-2008); Florida Atlantic University (BS, Finance-2003).
Admitted to the Bar: New York (2010); US District Court: Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of New York; US Court of Appeals: 2nd Circuit; US Court of International Trade.
American Bar Association; Association of the Bar of the City of New York; New York State Bar Association; Life Fellow, The New York Bar Foundation.
Navigating Mediations & Arbitrations: The Young Lawyer’s Practice Guide, ABA Practice Series (2018); The Singapore Convention: A First Look, New York Dispute Resolution Lawyer (2018); Interview of ADR Lawyer & President of the United Nations General Assembly, American Bar Association, (2017); International Mediation & ADR Survey, International Mediation Institute (2016); Im-Mediate Resolution: The Role of Lawyer in Out of Court Dispute Resolution, World Bank Group (2013).
$475 Per Hour
English
United States of America
New York, NY
The AAA’s Rules provide the AAA with the authority to administer a mediation including, mediator appointment, general oversight and billing. Accordingly, mediations that proceed without AAA administration are not considered AAA mediations, even when the parties select an mediator who is on the AAA’s Roster.
The information contained in this resume has been supplied solely by the individual mediator and may, or may not, be a complete recitation of their experience. The AAA assumes no responsibility for the content, completeness, accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in a mediator’s resume. If you have any questions about a mediator’s experience or background, you are encouraged to contact your case manager.
Mediators on the AAA Roster are not employees or agents of the AAA.
The information contained in this resume has been supplied solely by the individual mediator and may, or may not, be a complete recitation of their experience. The AAA assumes no responsibility for the content, completeness, accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in a mediator’s resume. If you have any questions about a mediator’s experience or background, you are encouraged to contact your case manager.
Mediators on the AAA Roster are not employees or agents of the AAA.
