James L. Nulman, an AV Preeminent rated attorney with more than 25 years of litigation experience, is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator and Certified Appellate Mediator. He is also a certified mediator before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. 

Litigation Experience 

In 1980, Jim began practicing law in New Jersey. In 1983 he moved to Florida and joined the Fort Myers firm of Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. He became a shareholder of Henderson Franklin in 1989 and practiced with the firm until March 2006. 

Jim practiced all aspects of construction law and litigation. Comprising approximately fifty percent of his practice, he represented residential and commercial owners and developers, contractors, and design professionals. He actively litigated and tried construction disputes in court and arbitration, and counseled his clients on all aspects of construction law.

The other half of Jim's practice was broadly based, involving many areas of commercial litigation, including contract disputes, corporate/partnership disputes, business torts, employment disputes, employee restrictive covenants, real estate litigation, brokerage disputes, negligence actions, as well as a host of other litigation matters. 

Mediation Experience 

Jim started mediating in the early 1990s and, in 1995, became certified by the Florida Supreme Court as a Circuit Civil Mediator. In 1997, he became a certified U.S. District Court Mediator for the Middle District of Florida, and a certified Appellate Mediator in 2011 when that certification first became available. 

In April 2006, he established Nulman Mediation Services, Inc., a practice dedicated solely to providing mediation services. While in the 1990s Jim mediated mostly commercial and construction disputes, over the years that has broadened significantly. 

Jim is particularly known for his mediation of disputes involving: 

• Construction claims of all sizes and types
• Insurance coverage 
• Business disputes and dissolutions, and 
• Employment cases (i.e., employment discrimination of all kinds, FLSA, minimum wage, etc.). 

However, conducting more than 150 mediations a year, he also has extensive experience mediating a wide range of other civil disputes, including: 

• Business Torts
• Class Actions
• Condominium and HOA Disputes
• Contract Disputes
• Copyright & Trademark Disputes
• Corporate & Partnership Disputes
• Eminent Domain
• Employee Restrictive Covenants (Non-Compete Agreements,
• Non-Solicitation & Non- Disclosure)
• Fraud
• Legal Malpractice
• Medical Malpractice
• Negligence and Intentional Torts Personal Injury and Wrongful
• Death 
• Probate, Estate and Trust Disputes 
• Real Estate Disputes
• Real Estate Brokerage Disputes 
• Stock Broker Disputes
• Trade Secrets 

In addition to two-party mediations, Jim frequently handles multi-party mediations involving as many as twenty-five or more parties. 

While originally based in Southwest Florida, over the years Jim's mediation practice has grown to be statewide. To better serve the Florida legal community, in January 2019, Jim relocated to Winter Garden and proudly announced the opening of Nulman Mediation Services' office in Central Florida.

Faculty Affiliation and Speaking 

A member of the faculty of Mediation Training Group, Inc. from 2006 through the untimely passing of its founder, Susan Dubow, in early 2019, Jim participated in circuit civil training, speaking on various topics, including: mediation theory and practice, mediation techniques, negotiation dynamics, attorneys and mediation, the preparation of settlement agreements, basic legal concepts and financial issues inherent in mediation.  

From 2020 through 2022, Jim was a member the faculty of Mediation Training Network, for whom he has spoken to classes of lawyers, judges and others seeking certification as circuit civil mediators.  The topics on which Jim spoke have included the role of attorneys and understanding the different types of attorney/client relationships that may be encountered at mediation; the potential for conflicts of interest and how to handle them; the benefits of conducting private meetings with attorneys; and the impact of attorneys' fees on the mediation process. 

In addition to his past faculty affiliations, Jim also speaks periodically at seminars and conferences throughout the state on various topics pertaining to mediation, such as the importance of preparation and opening statements, the effect of subconscious bias on the mediation process, and how attorneys can be more effective at settling their cases.

Honors 

Jim has consistently been recognized for his work in the area of Alternative Dispute Resolution in the annual lists of Florida Super Lawyers® and Best Lawyers in America® each year from 2009 through the present. Selection for inclusion as a Florida Super Lawyers is the result of an annual, comprehensive, state-wide peer review selection process by Law & Politics. The Best Lawyers in America are named based on an exhaustive peer review survey involving more than 18,500 leading attorneys throughout the country who rate the legal abilities of their colleagues. 

In 2013, Jim was inducted as a fellow into the American College of Civil Trial Mediators. College fellows are selected for membership by invitation, and membership is limited to approximately 125 mediators nationwide. 

Education 

Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D., cum laude (1980) 

Rutgers University, B.A. (1977) 

Bar Memberships 

The Florida Bar (1983)
United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (1983)
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (2018)
United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (1983) 

United States Supreme Court (1986) 

Professional Memberships 

Mediator Organizations 

American College of Civil Trial Mediators
Florida Academy of Professional Mediators
The Florida Circuit-Civil Mediator Society
The National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals 

Bar Associations 

Florida Bar Association
Orange County Bar Association 

Contact Information and Website 

Email: jim@nulmanmediation.com
Cell phone: (239) 841-0108
Website: Nulmanmediation.com