Longtime Jacksonville attorney James Cummings has founded Cummings Mediation, a full-service mediation firm handling all types of disputes, including both state and federal civil cases in all jurisdictions. Drawing on his nearly 20 years of experience as an attorney, Cummings helps parties work together to resolve their differences quickly and amicably.
“I always wanted to focus my energy and my talents on helping people solve problems, rather than just fighting,” Cummings said. “I am passionate about helping people settle cases.”
Cummings noted that by law, every civil lawsuit in Florida must go to mediation before going to trial. “Our judiciary recognized that 99 percent of lawsuits get settled before they ever get to trial,” he said. “Our court system is overloaded and backlogged; mediators serve as neutral, impartial and unbiased facilitators, helping attorneys and their clients resolve their differences and settle their claims without expensive, frustrating and protracted litigation.”
While lawsuits can drag on for years, with multiple trials and appeals – racking up thousands of dollars in legal fees – mediation can provide an early resolution to a case, with many mediations being completed in less than a day.
“In just a few hours,” Cummings said, “you can reach an agreement that could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.”
Mediation also gives the parties involved control over the outcome of their dispute, he added. “Mediation is the one time parties have any control – they can be the architects of their settlement instead of putting it in the hands of six strangers on a jury.”
Best of all, Cummings said, mediation brings finality to a case. “There is no such thing as an appeal to a mediation settlement,” he said. “Once the parties reach agreement, the case is over.
“I absolutely love what I do,” Cummings continued. “I am passionate about finding solutions to problems, and I never give up.”
