The Axelrod Firm understands that litigating a case and taking it to trial may not serve everyone’s best interests. Our clients, and attorneys and parties outside of our law firm, turn to us to help them resolve their matters as our partners are experienced in arbitration, private and court supervised mediation, as well as early case evaluation.  We have participated in mediations on behalf of our clients including multi-party mediations and are experienced in dealing with sensitive and high profile matters as well as matters involving cultural, language and religious sensitivities.

We also serve as Settlement Masters, Mediators, and AAA Arbitrators.

In recognition of her skills in the courtroom and at the negotiation table, Ms. Axelrod was appointed a Judge Pro Tempore (JPT) / Settlement Master, an honor bestowed by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Commerce Court on less than 130 attorneys in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  In the role, she has assisted the parties in settling approximately 85% of the cases that have come before her.  This track record holds true even in matters in which the parties were ordered to attend settlement conferences before her, rather than requesting to do so, and even in cases in which counsel told her their clients’ cases would “never” settle.

Ms. Savitt, a former Chair of the International Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA), has been a party advocate in numerous mediations, including multi-party mediations, and mediations with participants from different countries and cultures.  She is a member of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution.

Both Firm Partners Sheryl Axelrod and Lisa Savitt have completed the rigorous training required to join the roster of American Arbitration Association Arbitration Panelists for consumer and commercial arbitrations, and they both have experience serving as AAA Arbitrators.

In a complex real estate matter involving issues surrounding title insurance, a prior foreclosure action, a mortgage, and alleged negligence on the part of 10 parties represented by six law firms, Axelrod managed to get all the parties settle the entire matter in a single day. For her Settlement Master services in the complex action, an attorney in the case, Scott Rothman, a named Partner in Curley & Rothman, LLC, gave her the following recommendation:

“Sheryl served as mediator in a complex real estate litigation case, involving ten parties and six law firms. The parties and their respective counsel viewed a resolution as unlikely heading into a mediation session. Sheryl came prepared with a firm grasp of complicated facts and a good understanding of some atypical issues of law. By the end of the day, what seemed impossible became a reality, a settlement was accomplished, and an expensive trial proceeding was averted. I would recommend Sheryl for mediation services for both her knowledge of substantive law and expertise with dispute resolution.”

Scott Rothman, Partner at Curley & Rothman, LLC,

Amy Blumenthal, a Partner at Kutak Rock LLP, had this to say about Ms. Axelrod’s skills as a Settlement Master / Mediator:

“Sheryl served as a mediator in a six figure property damage matter against my insurer client. The parties started out so far apart that we immediately walked in and said “this will never settle”. However, after less than 4 hours we were done, with both sides being pleased with the result. I’d easily use Sheryl again for another matter.”

Amy Blumenthal, Partner at Kutak Rock LLP
Representative Matters As Mediators / Settlement Masters
  • A multi-million-dollar business litigation “divorce” between the shareholders of a corporation, represented by various attorneys, resulting in the amicable buyout by one of the owners by the other two.
  • A complex business tort claim involving five parties represented by five law firms including fraud claims, which the parties settled upon the very terms recommended.
  • Appointed the Receiver of a corporation which owned a parking lot, in a multi-party action. The matter involved claims by one of the corporation’s shareholders that the other shareholders were fleecing the corporation.
Representative Matters as Party Representative in Mediation
  • Represented airport authority Aeroports de Paris and its insurers in wrongful death and personal injury claims in United States and overseas arising out of collapse of terminal at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris; claims included allegations of negligence related to construction and architectural defects; after several mediation sessions, wrongful death case filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York arising out of accident resulted in favorable settlement.

  • Represented a corporation in a bodily injury action involving the death of a minor. His estate’s wrongful death and survival claims included allegations that the corporation failed to call 911 and use an IED quickly enough to save his life. The mediation resulted in a confidential settlement.