Spector Gadon Rosen Vinci LLP is proud to announce that firm Member, Karen McManus Rich, Esq., has been appointed Vice Chair of the St. Petersburg Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Section. This prestigious appointment marks a significant milestone in Ms. Rich’s legal career, and long-standing commitment to community service, as she expands her law practice to include the role of a neutral Mediator guiding parties to achieve amicable resolution of legal disputes.

As a former criminal prosecutor, Ms. Rich’s extensive trial experience prepared her to obtain successful results for her clients in her Civil Practice in which she has focused in the areas of Health Care Law and Employment law for over twenty-five (25) years. In her role as a civil litigator, Ms. Rich is well respected for her advocacy of initially utilizing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) with limited discovery as a cost-effective approach to explore resolution before proceeding with the full-scale discovery required to prepare cases for jury trial.

In the area of Health Care Law, Ms. Rich passionately defends Long Term Care facilities and Assisted Living Facilities in complex legal matters such as professional negligence, wrongful death, violation of resident’s rights, breach of contracts, premise liability, and regulatory/licensure proceedings from pre-suit through arbitration and/or jury trial. Ms. Rich has served as lead counsel in hundreds of Alternative Dispute Resolution proceedings including presuit mediations, court ordered mediations, non-binding arbitrations and binding arbitrations regularly obtaining successful results for her clients.

In the area of Employment Law, Ms. Rich has represented both employers and employees in claims of discrimination (based on race, national origin, gender, disability, pregnancy and age), retaliation, sexual harassment, and wage and hour disputes. She has successfully represented clients in matters before the Florida Commission on Human Relations, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of Labor, and in both State and Federal Courts. Ms. Rich has also represented clients in individual and complex class action union grievances bound by the American Arbitration Association rules.

Her ability to resolve disputes efficiently through mediation and arbitration has resulted in significant cost savings for her clients in many cases, and when Alternative Dispute Resolution was not possible, her fierce and zealous litigation efforts have also earned favorable verdicts at jury trial.

Ms. Rich’s appreciation of the time and cost saving benefits of Alternative Dispute Resolution recently inspired Ms. Rich to become certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a Circuit Court Mediator and subsequently accept the esteemed position of Vice Chair of the St. Petersburg Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.  As a true proponent of Alternative Dispute Resolution, both as a litigator and as a Mediator, she is eager to serve the legal community in her role as the of Vice Chair of the St. Petersburg Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section where she is committed to ensure that her colleagues in the local bar have access to current Alternative Dispute Resolution resources and education.

Undoubtedly, Ms. Rich’s dual perspective—as an advocate, for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, in her role as a litigation and as a neutral in her role as a Mediator—uniquely positions her to guide parties through the Alternative Dispute Resolution process with neutrality, fairness, insight, and effectiveness.

Spector Gadon Rosen Vinci P.C. proudly supports our attorneys in efforts to serve the community through both volunteer work and leadership positions.  SGRV has represented clients nationally and internationally for over 50 years and provides counsel and expertise across the entire spectrum of legal practice, from complex litigation to sophisticated transactional and corporate matters. The firm has offices in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Florida, and New York.