April Y. Walker

April is a certified Federal and Florida circuit civil mediator. She routinely mediates cases pending in state and federal courts as well as pre-suit disputes. Her mediation training includes advanced trained at Harvard Law School's Negotiation Institute and Program on Negotiation. April is available to mediate disputes for clients nationwide via Zoom. She is also available to mediate in person upon request.

Background

April Walker began her legal career in the general litigation department of Carlton Fields in Tampa, Florida. She worked with the products liability group in the Miami office. She left the firm to accept a law clerk position with the late Honorable Stephan P. Mickle, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Florida. Years later, April rejoined Carlton Fields as an associate attorney in the Orlando business litigation group. Following the financial downturn of 2007 and 2008 she gained invaluable experience defending a national bank and loan servicers in consumer law matters including consumer financial services, consumer protection, debt collection, and loan servicing litigation. She also gained experience investigating hostile work environment allegations alongside a municipality employer. April was elected to shareholder in 2015. 

While she thoroughly enjoyed working with clients to develop and implement litigation strategies, April determined to shift the focus of her work to facilitating the resolution of disputes.  April joined Upchurch Watson White and Max Mediation Group in 2018, the same year she was recognized by peers as a Florida Trend's Florida Legal Elite in Commercial Litigation.

While mediation is April's primary practice focus, she is also a Florida Supreme Court qualified arbitrator.

• Duke University, A.B., 1993
• University of Florida, J.D.,1997
• Harvard Law School Negotiation Institute, Mediating Disputes, Certificate, 2018
• Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation, Advanced Mediation: Mediating Complex Disputes, Certificate, 2021

• The Florida Bar
• U.S. District Courts, Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Florida
• The American College of Civil Trial Mediators (ACCTM)
• The Association of Diverse Arbitrators and Mediators (ADAAM)

Please call for details.