John M. Stephenson, a litigation partner at Watson Spence LLP, has been certified as a registered neutral by the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution. After completing 28 hours of civil mediation training and a 12-hour civil mediation practicum through Henning Mediation & Arbitration Service, Inc., Stephenson is now available to serve as a mediator for both privately arranged and court-order mediations.

With more than 30 years experience as a civil practice litigator in both the state and federal court systems, Stephenson has handled a variety of bodily injury, property damage and business dispute claims for both plaintiffs and defendants. He also has extensive experience representing employees and employers before the State Board of Workers’ Compensation and has represented numerous government entities and their employees in governmental tort claims and federal Section 1983 actions.

Stephenson has handled appeals in the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Georgia Supreme Court and 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals. He has also been involved in numerous mediations over the years in both civil litigation and workers’ compensation cases.