ADR Systems is excited to welcome Hon. Edward S. Harmening, (Ret.) as the sixth new senior mediator and arbitrator to join our accomplished panel in the last year.

For the past 14 years, Judge Harmening presided over jury trials for complex auto liability, commercial, construction, medical malpractice and nursing home disputes in the Circuit Court of Cook County. He also honed his skills as a mediator during this time, successfully settling numerous disputes at pre-trial. As an attorney, he specialized in personal injury, employment, subrogation and complex coverage matters.

“Counsel trust us to help resolve disputes because they know our neutrals worked in the court system and understand the issues legally, practically, and emotionally,” said Marc Becker, president of ADR Systems. “Judge Harmening has seen it all in the Law Division and knows how to settle cases. We are certain he will do amazing work for our clients.”

Judge Harmening repeatedly balanced preparing for trial and hearing motions with efforts to settle cases before trial – efforts that succeeded on multiple occasions. As reported by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, for example, Judge Harmening facilitated multi-million-dollar settlements on three medical malpractice cases involving claims of the negligent use of a  surgical device and scalp electrode, damages from unapproved surgical procedures and failure to meet duty of care.

“To settle a case, you need to know the case: the facts, the key players, the anticipated testimony, the law and how all that together may play out at trial,” said Judge Harmening. “Mediators draw upon all of that when working through cases of varying complexity. There are no short cuts; it takes work, but I am committed to it. Resolution is worth it.”

Resolution is worth it, Judge Harmening went on to say, because of two key attributes of alternative dispute resolution: Certainty of outcome and efficiency of the process.

“If you go to trial, there is no telling what the jury may award. I have predicted verdicts accurately and I have been blindsided by them,” he said. “At mediation, parties control the process and decide for themselves how they will resolve their dispute. There is no risk, and without the procedures of court, parties can get the job done much faster and much more cost-consciously.”

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Hon. Edward S. Harmening, (Ret.) brings integrity, a drive for excellence and a balanced perspective to his practice as a senior mediator and arbitrator. In pretrial conferences, he settled hundreds of cases by cultivating respectful and pragmatic negotiations with both sides. Judge Harmening is experienced at resolving personal injury actions such as mass torts, medical malpractice, product liability and nursing home cases, as well as commercial disputes such as business dissolution, legal malpractice, insurance coverage and employment cases.

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