Houston Mediators Professional Biographies

Former Special Judge | Attorney | Mediator | Marine

Eric G. Carter is the founding principal of The Carter Law Firm. After honorably serving in the United States Marine Corps, he attended and graduated from Memphis State University in 1975, and graduated from South Texas College of Law in 1979. He was licensed to practice law in Texas in 1980.

Mr. Carter is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer who has been practicing for over 32 years. Most recently, he has counseled healthcare providers and organizations in a variety of healthcare legal matters and healthcare law topics. He has represented publicly traded corporations, franchised automobile dealerships, handled mergers and acquisitions of companies, prepared and finalized State and Federally chartered Bank formations, closely held corporations, partnerships, and estates. Throughout his career, Mr. Carter has successfully managed complicated litigation involving multiple parties and complex issues.

Mr. Carter is a certified Mediator and Arbitrator and is licensed to practice before the Texas State and District Courts; United States of America Supreme Court; United States of America Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals; United States of America Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Through appointments, Mr. Carter has served as Special Judge in the Harris County Criminal Courts and as Receiver and Special Master in the State District Courts of Texas.
 

Attorney | Mediator

Heather’s passion as a litigator has always been the search for creative solutions to disputes. In 1998, Heather began her practice at a large law firm, where she represented businesses in their complex commercial litigation (including first-party insurance coverage, intellectual property, business torts, corporate dissolutions, and personal injury cases). During that time, she was able to try a number of cases to verdict.

In 2010, she opened her own boutique law firm, and became a professionally-trained mediator. She broadened her practice by representing individuals and companies. She has represented both plaintiffs and defendants, and understands how both sides of a case evaluate the value of their case. Since 2010, she has also mediated hundreds of civil disputes including personal injury, labor and employment, breach of contract, corporate dissolutions, real estate, professional liability, insurance coverage, construction, trade secret, premises liability, banking, and business torts. She now devotes her practice to mediation.

Heather arrives to each mediation prepared and focused. Using active listening and probing questions, Heather works to assess and master the facts and law of the case. Importantly, Heather also recognizes the importance of the individual people who are involved and how their personalities, emotions, and interests affect the ability to settle the dispute. Using this information, she then guides the parties and their attorneys through the conflict to try to reach resolution.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

* 2019 – Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation, “Advanced Mediator Training: Mediating Complex Disputes”
* 2010 – Manousso Mediation Training and ADR Services – Basic Mediation 40-hour Certificate
* 1998 – University of Texas School of Law, J.D. with honors
* Studied and/or taught over 100 hours of Continuing Legal Education in the field of Mediation

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

* Association of Attorney Mediators
* Credentialed Advanced Mediator – Texas Mediator Credentialing Association
* American Bar Association, ADR Section Member
* Houston Bar Association, ADR Section Member
 

Retired Judge | Certified Mediator

• Retired Appellate & District Court Judge
• Certified Mediator, AA White Dispute Resolution Center
• Certified Mediator, Attorney-Mediators Institute, Inc.
• Board certified personal injury trial law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
• College of the State Bar of Texas, 25 year Fellow Member

Mediator

I am a former litigator who currently only provides mediation services to family law attorneys.   I have provided mediation services to family law attorneys for over 25 years.   While I have closed my law office, I am still available to assist attorneys and their clients in resolving challenging conflicts with everything from parent-child issues to complex property issues.

​Whether your mediation is in person at one of the attorney’s offices or at the Texas Justice Center, or, if you prefer, via Zoom teleconferencing, I can effectively bring your case to satisfactory conclusion that benefits all involved.

Attorney | Mediator | Arbitrator

For more than 20 years, as a litigator, mediator and arbitrator, Felicia has been assisting parties in complex legal and business disputes helping them find resolution both inside and outside of the courtroom.

After clerking for Chief Justice John Cayce at the Second Court of Appeals, Felicia started her law firm career in a Houston litigation boutique, and later was a litigation partner in national and regional law firms. She has tried cases in state and federal court, as well as in arbitration. She has advised individuals and companies (privately-held and publicly-traded) in simple to complicated multi-party business disputes in a range of industries including energy, energy services, healthcare, and technology on a spectrum of claims including contract disputes, negligence, personal injury and wrongful death claims, business formation and dissolution, trade secrets, employment agreements, business torts, corporate governance and fiduciary duties, federal and state employment laws, nursing home operations, product liability, the UCC, and warranty claims among others. Felicia has also been recognized by her peers for inclusion among The Best Lawyers® in America in commercial litigation (2021-2022).

As a full-time neutral, Felicia mediates and arbitrates civil and commercial disputes through in-person and online (via Zoom) proceedings.

ADR PANEL AFFILIATIONS:

American Arbitration Association National Registry of Arbitrators, Commercial, Energy & Consumer Panelist

United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, Alternative Dispute Resolution Provider

Texas Comptroller Registry of Arbitrators, Property Tax Appraisal Review Arbitrator

Harris County Dispute Resolution Center, Board Member and Volunteer Mediator & Arbitrator (Recipient, 2021 Award for Outstanding Contribution to the HBA DRC)

Early Dispute Resolution Institute, Mediator

CREDENTIALS & PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:

Credentialed Mediator – Texas Mediator Credentialing Association

American Bar Association – ADR Section Member and Chair of Mediation Day 2022

Texas Bar Association – ADR Section Member

Houston Bar Association – ADR Section Member

Brazoria County Bar Association – ADR Section Practice Area

Texas Bar Foundation – Fellow

Texas Bar College – Member

NEUTRALS TRAINING:

Basic Mediation Certificate (2014 – 40 hours) – Manousso Mediation Training and ADR Services

Arbitration Training (2022, American Arbitration Association)

Health Care Arbitration Training (2021, American Health Law Association)

ARB Appeal Arbitrator Training (2021, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts)

Early Dispute Resolution Neutrals Training (2021, EDR Institute)

Implicit Bias Training (2021, Houston Bar Association)

EDUCATION:

J.D., South Texas College of Law, summa cum laude (1st in Class), 1997

B.A., Texas A&M University, cum laude, 1992

Attorney | Mediator | Arbitrator

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND HONORS:

• Shareholder and Managing Officer, The Levin Law Group, P.C., f/k/a Levin & Kasner, P.C. (1978 to Current).
• Licensed to practice in The State of Texas, all four (4) Texas Federal Districts Courts, the Fifth Circuit, the United States Tax Court and the United States Supreme Court.
• Over Fifty-three (53) years of experience in complex civil litigation and appellate work. Represented plaintiffs and defendants in various commercial, personal injury, bankruptcy, real estate, banking and municipality cases.
• Certified Mediator having handled over nine thousand (9,000) cases, focusing on complex business cases, intellectual property disputes, class actions, mass torts and collective actions, serious personal injury, energy related disputes, real estate, securities, banking, bankruptcy, construction and medical malpractice cases.
• Experienced arbitrator; individually and on panels handling numerous complex multi-party Arbitration and Master in Chancery cases.
• Adjunct Professor, University of Houston College of Law
• Frequent CLE Lecturer.
• Fellow, State Bar College.
• AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell (Highest Rating Available).
• Lawyer of the Year by peer vote through Best Attorneys (2021)
• Elected by peers one of four top arbitrators in Texas through Best Attorneys (2021)
• Texas Super Lawyer in ADR (multiple years)
• Selected by Law Dragon as top 500 Leading Judges & Arbitrators in America.
• Selected by Law Dragon as top 3000 Leading Attorneys in America.
• Selected by peers as one of “The Best Lawyers in America” in the ADR specialty
• Past Chairman of the Board, Houston Independent Bank, N.A. (11 years)
• Director and Trustee, Leo N. Levi National Arthritis Hospital, Hot Springs, Arkansas

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

• Houston Bar Association
• Texas Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Member, South Texas Center for Legal Responsibility – Mediation Council
• Member, South Texas Center for Legal Responsibility – Professional Responsibility Council
• Member, Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution
• Member, Attorney-Mediators Association
• National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
• Charter Member, Texas Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
• Trustee and Life Member, State Bar Foundation
• Member Houston Bar Association Speakers Bureau

EDUCATION:

• Honor graduate, University of Houston College of Law

*Assistant Editor of the Law Review

*Garwood Award for Academic Excellence

*Chief Justice of the Student Court

*Chief Student Defender

• Graduated, Harvard Law School, Advanced Mediation Workshop
• Honor graduate, Old Dominion University. Training and experience in clinical psychology prior to being drafted.

CIVIC AND PHILANTHROPIC AFFILIATIONS:

• Big Brother and co-founder of Big Brothers and Big Sisters Foundation in Houston;
• Past member of Houston Board of Directors
• Chairman, Texas Prisoner’s Rehabilitation and Visitation Program
• Trustee, Prisoner’s Aid Foundation
• Past Vice President, B’nai B’rith International (58 Nations)
• Past Chief Justice, B’nai B’rith International Court of Appeals
• Chairman, B’nai B’rith International Center for Senior Services
• Recipient of first Label A. Katz International Leadership Award
• Past President, B’nai B’rith District Seven (seven southern states)
• Chairman and Trustee, B’nai B’rith Opportunity House for Alcoholic Rehabilitation
• Past President, Congregation Beth Yeshurun
• Chairman, Houston Jewish Community Foundation
• Past Member, Jewish Federation of Greater Houston Board of Directors
• Past Member, Jewish Federation of Greater Houston Executive Committee
• Associate General Chairman, Houston United Jewish Campaign
• Chairman, Major Gifts Division of the Houston United Jewish Campaign
• Chairman, Attorneys Division of the Houston United Jewish Campaign
• Chairman, Houston Israel Bonds Cabinet
• Chairman, Israel Bonds New Leadership
• Past Member, Board of Directors, American Associates, Ben-Gurion University
• Past Member, Jewish National Fund Board of Directors
• Past Member, Board of Directos Jewish Children’s Regional Service
• Recipient, Jewish National Fund Citation of Honor
• Hadassah Associate Life Member
• Hadassah Founder
• Past President, J.B. Goldberg, Senior Citizens Housing Tower Foundation
• Chairman, Greater Houston Hillel Foundation Advisory Board
• Chairman, Houston Hillel