Jakki A. Hansen​
After more than 25 years of jury trials and litigation, I have turned my experiences with clients, opposing parties and counsel, judges, juries, and appellate courts into assisting litigants get past the continued uncertainty, expense, and stress inherent in legal disputes.
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I am certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Civil Trial Law and Labor & Employment Law. I graduated from the University of Houston Law Center in 1998. I received my mediation certification from the Newhouse Mediation Clinic.
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I tried my first case to a jury as an intern at the Harris County District Attorney's Office immediately after receiving my student bar card in 1997. From that first voir dire my course was set. After leaving the DA's office in 2001, I transitioned into civil litigation. Since then I have tried scores of cases on both sides of the docket. I have tried cases to juries in justice courts to state and federal district courts on both sides of the dockets, from personal injury and civil rights to business disputes and employment cases. I have known all of the highs and lows that come with the life of a litigator. Through close professional relationships with my clients, I have learned of the elation and the pain they experience throughout the process.
I have also handled all of the appeals for my cases post-verdict. It is my experience that trial attorneys are not giving enough consideration to the very dynamic appellate courts and their effects. Gone are the days when a jury verdict could be expected to stand simply because it was a jury verdict. The appellate courts are now a very real factor - and perhaps even less predictable than juries.
Also included in the equation of case evaluation are the obvious financial costs and time. But I also believe the less tangible adverse effects of long-term litigation cannot be overstated, including the drain on individual plaintiffs and defendants, businesses, management, their employees, and their long-term planning. I work to emphasize the value of the intangibles - of being done, of being certain, and of moving on. Of course none of this can come at the expense of each party being able to live with the decisions being made. Parties so often walk into mediation believing that if the case were to get to a jury they would surely win, and asking them to let that go is a big ask. A mediator must find a way to ensure that the parties and the attorneys feel that they were heard and that what they said mattered in the course of the mediation process.
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Traditional Mediation
Half-day and full-day mediations for civil disputes. Mediations may be conducted remotely or in-person, or as hybrid proceedings, all based upon agreement of the parties.
Single-Issue Mediation
Mediation for single issues with length and setting tailored for the specific needs of the parties. These may be pre-litigation disputes that need an impartial third party to assist in finding and formalizing specific agreements, or mid-litigation disputes to resolve discovery issues, narrow the issues for trial, or to create terms of dealing in situations where the parties must continue to interact during the pendency of litigation.
Post-Trial Mediation
Post-trial mediations require a very different approach given the traditionally clear advantage of the prevailing party. Given the nature of the appellate courts at this point, however, even a jury verdict is far from an assured victory in the end. The expense, and as often the time, makes the appellate process fraught with stress and uncertaintly. Mediation post-verdict is a worthwhile endeavor to allow your clients to close the book on this very unpleasant chapter.
Current Employment Issues
Mediations to address issues between current employee/employers to facilitate continued employment, including interactive process negotiations, religious and disability accommodations, and other employment-related disputes.
MEDIATION FORMATS
