Douglas J. Witten, Esq., principal of Innovative ADR International LLC, is a mediator and arbitrator who has 27+ years of legal experience and has mediated 1300+ cases since becoming a registered neutral in 2003. Doug offers dispute resolution services, in English and Spanish, across areas including healthcare, workers’ compensation, accidents and injuries, and commercial matters. He previously practiced law in the healthcare and corporate departments of global firms King & Spalding LLP and Long, Aldridge & Norman LLP (n/k/a Dentons), and he also served Georgia’s workers’ compensation agency in management roles such as Deputy Director and Chief Mediator of the ADR Division, Appellate Division Director, and Attorney General Liaison.

Doug is a panel neutral for the American Health Law Association (AHLA), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and BAY Mediation & Arbitration Services. He is actively involved in the Dispute Resolution (DR) Sections of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Georgia and has served, among other roles, as Chair of the Atlanta Bar Association DR Section (2022-23). In 2023, Thomson Reuters selected Doug for inclusion in the prestigious Georgia “Super Lawyers” list for Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Additionally, Doug has written and presented extensively on healthcare, negotiation, mediation, and dispute resolution topics. Doug’s publications include The Stoic Negotiator™ newsletter (stoicnegotiator.substack.com) and Mediation Essentials Toolkit: A Practitioner’s Emergency Survival Guide (https://www.amazon.com/Mediation-Essentials-Toolkit-Practitioners-Emergency-ebook/dp/B08WRJPXMN). Also a trainer for the American Negotiation Institute, Doug offers on-demand negotiation courses through The Stoic Negotiator™ Academy (https://thestoicnegotiatoracademy.thinkific.com), Practising Law Institute (PLI), and LinkedIn Learning (https://www.linkedin.com/learning/how-to-use-negotiation-jiu-jitsu-to-resolve-conflicts-and-persuade/introducing-doug-witten-esq-8693388).

Doug earned a B.B.A. from Emory University Goizueta Business School, a J.D. from New York University School of Law, and an LL.M. from the University of Houston.

• University of Houston Law Center: Houston, TX, LL.M. in Health Law & Policy (1997)
• New York University School of Law: New York, NY, J.D. (1996)
• Emory University of Goizueta Business School: Atlanta, GA, B.B.A. (with Highest Distinction, 1993)
• University of New South Wales: Sydney, Australia: Study Abroad (Summer/Fall 1991)

AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION (ABA)

• Member, Dispute Resolution Section (Committees: Healthcare; International; Mediation; Technology in ADR)
  • Mediation Committee
    • Subcommittee Co-chair, Just Resolutions Publication
    • Subcommittee Co-chair, Special Projects
  • Welcome Committee, Annual Spring Conference, April 10-12, 2019, Minneapolis, MN
• Member, Health Law Section (Task Force on ADR and Conflict Management in Health Care)
• Past Member, Business Law Section (Dispute Resolution Committee)
• Member, ABA Advisory Panel (2011 – 2014)

AMERICAN HEALTH LAW ASSOCIATION (AHLA)

• Chair (2016-2018) and Vice Chair (2015-16), ADR Affinity Group
• Panel Neutral, Dispute Resolution Service

ATLANTA BAR ASSOCIATION

• Board Member and Chair (2022-23), Dispute Resolution Section
• Member, Litigation Section
• Member, Workers’ Compensation Section

FINANCIAL INDUSTRY REGULATORY AUTHORITY (FINRA)

• Public Arbitrator (2021-)

FORO INTERNACIONAL DE MEDIADORES PROFESIONALES (FIMEP)

• Embajador a EE.UU. (U.S. Ambassador)

GEORGIA ANNUAL ADR INSTITUTE & NEUTRALS’ CONFERENCE

• Planning Committee (2020-)

GEORGIA GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE COMMISSION (Registered Lobbyist 2012)

GEORGIA HISPANIC BAR ASSOCIATION

GEORGIA OFFICE OF DISPUTE RESOLUTION, SUPREME COURT OF GEORGIA (Registered Neutral, General Civil Mediation, Domestic Mediation & Arbitration)

• Civil Mediation Training, Resolution Resources Corporation (2003)
• Arbitration Training, Henning Mediation & Arbitration Service (2016)
• Divorce Mediation Training, Justice Center of Atlanta (2017)
• Domestic Relations Mediation Practicum, Henning Mediation & Arbitration Service (2017)

HISPANIC NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION

INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR ONLINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DISTINGUISHED NEUTRALS

ODR LATINOAMÉRICA

STATE BAR OF GEORGIA

THE FLORIDA BAR

Please contact ADR administrator for rates and details.

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