Christian & Small Partner Kenneth O. Simon has announced that he will depart the firm after more than 11 years in order to further his alternative dispute resolution practice. He will join the Denver-based Judicial Arbiter Group to open an office in Birmingham.
“As I have focused my practice more specifically on mediation and arbitration and less on litigation, I have found that I am conflicted out of a significant number of projects here at Christian & Small,” Simon said. “While I am excited to embark on this new opportunity, I’m sad to be leaving such a strong, remarkable firm and some of the finest, most talented lawyers in our profession. I’ve been with Christian & Small longer than anywhere else in my career, and my tenure at the firm has been the best, most rewarding experience of my professional life. I can only hope that this new phase of my career will provide me with similarly valuable opportunities and supportive friends.”
Managing Partner Deborah Alley Smith said: “Everyone at Christian & Small holds Ken in the highest esteem, and over the years his contributions to the firm have been invaluable. We wish him nothing but the best as he makes this transition, and although we will all miss him, we know it is in his best interests to continue his career in an environment more favorable to his alternative dispute resolution practice.”
Following his departure from Christian & Small, Simon will open a new office in Birmingham for the Denver-based Judicial Arbiter Group (JAG). As one of the oldest, most successful private judicial services in the country, JAG provides the legal and business communities with cost effective, efficient dispute resolution programs, including mediation and arbitration.
In addition to providing alternative dispute resolution methods, JAG arbiters also conduct mock appellate arguments and review; serve in court-appointed functions such as receivers, liquidators, trustees, special masters and statutorily appointed judges; and conduct mock jury trials and focus groups. JAG is composed exclusively of former trial and appellate judges, each of whom was a distinguished leader during service on the bench. Each judge brings to JAG a commitment to case resolution based upon a depth of knowledge and experience with litigants and the legal process.
“Judicial Arbiter Group is very excited about hiring former judge Ken Simon. Ken’s breadth of experience in litigation and alternative dispute resolution, coupled with his respected judicial reputation, make him the perfect fit for expanding the Judicial Arbiter Group into Birmingham and the Southeast,” observed JAG President Bill Meyer.