Michael G. Harrison
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 00-1-517-371-8162
Fax: 00-1-517-367-7162
Address:
313 South Washington Sq.
Lansing,, MI, 48933
United States
Experience Qualification Path
Category 2: American Arbitration Association
Mediation locations
United States - MI
Mediation languages
English
Current position and background
Foster, Swift, Collins and Smith, P.C., Senior Attorney, 2001 - present, practice area, dispute
resolution. Circuit Court Judge(general jurisdiction, including civil actions in excess of $25,000,
equity, criminal felony, family, appeals from lower courts, appeals from state agencies), 30th
Judicial Circuit, State of Michigan, 1976-2000,Chief Judge 12 years,
Michigan Court of Claims Judge(actions against the State of Michigan and all state agencies for
money damages), 30th Circuit designated by Michigan Legislature as Court of Claims.
Corporation Counsel, Ingham County, Michigan, 1970-1976. Represented County Board of
Commissioners, all county agencies, Ingham Medical Hospital, Ingham County Medical Care
Facility, Capital Region Airport Authority, Chair, County Building Authority.
Administrative Assistant, Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney, 1968-1970.
Albion College, Albion, Mi., BA, The University of Michigan School of Law, JD, studied public and
private international law under William Bishop and Eric Stein, studied, Hague Academy of
International Law, The Hague, The Netherlands, graduate studies, The George Washington
University School of Public and International Affairs.
Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law.
Main mediation practice areas
Energy, stray voltage and other sources of injuries, liability, damages
Personal injury, liability, comparative negligence, damages
Professional (medical, physician and hospital, legal) malpractice, liability, damages
Railway/employee injury, benefits
Business acquisition, terms of agreement, compliance
Franchise, compliance with terms
Employment termination, discrimination and other issues, liability, damages
Construction
Estate, division of assets
Insurance, policy terms, entitlement to proceeds
Toxic mold, liability, damages
Environmental contamination, existence, source, damages
Construction
Estate, division of assets
Insurance, policy terms, entitlement to proceeds
Toxic mold, liability, damages
Environmental contamination, existence, source, damages
Partnerships, termination
Governmental matters
Mediation experience
Has successfully mediated various types of construction cases including highway with actions
brought by general contractors also involving subcontractors and counter-claims by the owner.
Other construction actions involved contractor/subs-owner with various issues.
Has also
successfully mediated real estate and development matters covering multiple issues including
financing.
Successful
mediation
has
included
business
disputes
including
a
pre-litigation/acquisition involving a Fortune 500 company, a dispute between a lessor and lessee
and financial institution litigation involving mortgages.
Personal injury matters have resulted in settlements ranging from under $10,000 to over $1 million
and involving automobile accidents to slip and falls. Mediation also included a broad range of third
party benefits. Also mediated were norovirus and mold matters. Successful mediations further
occurred in railway employment matters under FELA. Mediated medical and dental malpractice
actions, including several pre-filing.
Has mediated many actions involving governmental entities which have included highway defects,
building defects, environmental contamination, including source, spills, remediation.
Governmental mediation has also included condemnation, taxation and questions of property sales
on foreclosure.
Mediations have also included employment issues of a wide variety, contract disputes, franchises,
actions involving energy suppliers, and estates.
Description of mediation style
Facilitative, Evaluative or a combination
Code of professional conduct
IMI Code of Professional Conduct
Complaint process
IMI Professional Conduct Assessment Process
Professional indemnity insurance
Chicago Insurance Company, Firemans Fund, $5,000,000 per claim
Feedback digest
Reviewer: stroud Ted ( [email protected] )
Latest Update: 2011-01-20 13:14:17
This Feedback Digest has been updated to include 10 mediations since 10-09-2009.
Michael G. Harrison has consistently been rated at Performance Level 5 by parties using him as
their mediator. All parties providing Feedbacks would recommend Mr. Harrison as a mediator. All
responders felt that Mr. Harrison's fees were reasonable.
The Feedbacks provided to date are from experienced attorneys in a broad range of injury and
commercial litigation matters. Mr. Harrison is uniformly complimented for his ability to
understand the issues presented and his willingness to let all parties fully express their own views
on how the dispute needs to be resolved. "Listening" to the parties' and counsel's explanation of
their position is reported as an important skill Mr. Harrison applies to the mediation process.
Many have commented that Mr. Harrison's patience with strong willed parties has produced a
settlement where the attorneys working without a mediator have not been able to resolve the
matter.
Mr. Harrison is uniformly perceived as having treated all sides fairly and impartially. Mr. Harrison
is also complemented for having read the material in advance of the mediation itself and his ability
to keep the parties focused on issues that need to be resolved for the case to settle. Mr. Harrison's
ability to understand and work through complex factual and legal issues is reported as an asset.
Most responding, but not all, have commented that Mr. Harrison's long experience as a circuit
court judge was important to his ability to resolve the matter. Attorneys have reported that Mr.
Harrison's long judicial experience was helpful as clients tend to view Mr. Harrison as a credible
neutral.
A high proportion of Mr. Harrison's mediatons resulted in a resolution at the mediation conference.
It is reported that in cases that did not settle Mr. Harrison remained available to support parties as
needed.
No reportable negative comments have been received.
Professional affiliations
State Bar of Michigan, State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly, past chair, State Bar of
Michigan Board of Commissioners, Michigan State Bar Foundation,past president, Michigan Judges
Association, past president, American Bar Association, American Bar Association, Judicial Division,
National Conference of State Trial Judges, past chair, American Bar Association, Tort Trial
Insurance Practice Section, past council member, American Bar Foundation, Ingham County Bar
Association, Oakland County Bar Association.
Mediation education and training
Mediating the Litigated Case, Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute
Resolution, 2006, ABA Tort Trial Insurance Practice Section, Annual Insurance Coverage Litigation
Committee Mid-Year Program, 2004, American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section Spring
Conferences, 2005-2009, Institue of Continuing Legal Education Advanced Mediator Training,
2003-2007, 2009, United States District Court, Western District of Michigan, Advanced Mediator
Training, 2005-2009.
Mediation teaching and mentoring
Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, Michigan, Adjunct Professor, 1975-present, Local
Government Law, International Law, Conflict of Laws, Family Law, mediation mentoring,
Michigan Judicial Institute,
National Judicial College
Mediation publications
Articles on mediation, Michigan Forward(Michigan Chamber of Commerce), "Mediation - A viable
Alternative", Greater Lansing Business Monthly, "Mediation: A Better Alternative", Briefs, Ingham
County Bar Association, "Thoughts on Mediation".
Editor, State Trial Judges Association-American Bar Association "Litigation Control".
Note: This Mediator Profile is intended to offer guidance to users of mediation services about
the competency, skills, styles and potential suitability of the IMI Certified Mediator featured
above. The Reviewer, the Mediator and IMI are attempting to present fair, balanced and objective
information but none are to be held responsible for reliance on the information given. Users of
mediation services are encouraged to pursue further research before selecting the IMI Certified
Mediator, including contacting references and conducting an interview with the Mediator before
making a selection.