A Discussion on the Art of Negotiation in Law

Panelists

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Cheryl H. Agris, PhD, JD
Principal & Partner
The Law Offices of Cheryl H. Agris and Agris & von Natzmer, LLP

Dr. Cheryl H. Agris, is a native of the Washington, DC-Baltimore area and a JHU alum. She received a PhD from the Department of Biochemistry at the School of Public Health and a BA in Chemistry from Goucher College. She moved to NY in 1986 to undertake postdoctoral research at Sloan Kettering Institute on RNA processing. In 1988, she changed careers , working as a Law Clerk, Biotechnology group, Pennie and Edmonds from 1998-1992 while attending Brooklyn Law School in their evening program (JD 1992). She was a Patent Attorney at Novo Nordisk of North America from 1992-1998 and has been in private practice since then.

Dr. Agris, as a principal of the Law Offices of Cheryl H. Agris, PhD, PC located in Westchester County NY acts as an arbitrator and mediator. In view of her experience and scientific background, since 2000, Dr. Agris has been called upon to act as a neutral in a variety of commercial/technology disputes. She has been listed with the International Chamber of Commerce as an Arbitrator and Mediator since 2004. Additionally, Dr. Agris is a member of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) Biotechnology, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Trademark and Technology Panels (2009-present); American Arbitration Association’s Commercial Panel (2003-present); National Futures Association (NFA) Arbitrator (2002-present); FINRA Arbitrator (2000-present); and World Intellectual Property Organization’s List of Mediators and Arbitrators (2004-present). Dr. Agris has also served as a Member of the Westchester County Attorney Fee Dispute Resolution Arbitration Panel (2004-present); Mediator for NJ Supreme Court (Hudson, Union, Essex, Bergen, Middlesex, Monmouth counties) 2009-present); Panelist on the EDNY Mediation and Arbitration Panels (2004-present); Member of NY Supreme Court, Commercial Division Mediation Panels (NY, Westchester and Queens Counties) (2004-present). Beyond serving as an arbitrator and mediator, Dr. Agris belongs to the ADR committee of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Arbitration subcommittee of the Dispute Resolution Section of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), and the Arbitration committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (ABCNY). Dr. Agris has received over 200 hours of training in arbitration and mediation practice and has written and lectured extensively in the ADR field.

Dr. Agris is a registered patent attorney and partner of Agris & von Natzmer, LLP, whose practice encompasses all aspects of intellectual property law with special emphasis on biotechnology, pharmaceutical and chemical patent practice and in particular includes preparing and prosecuting U.S. patent applications (over 225 issued patents to date), overseeing the filing and prosecution of foreign patent applications, conducting reviews of IP portfolios for strategic planning and due diligence studies, conducting patent and literature prior art searches, preparing patentability, validity and infringement opinions, preparing and reviewing agreements (e.g, licensing, collaboration, consortium, consulting and confidentiality agreements), and drafting and prosecuting trademark applications. She is the principal author of the Practitioner’s Manual of Patent Examining Procedure, published by Thomson-Reuters.

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James D. Yellen
Founder
Yellen Arbitration and Mediation Services

Jim Yellen, founder of Yellen Arbitration and Mediation Services, has over twenty-five years of experience in securities law, is Co-Chair of the N.Y.S.B.A. Securities Law and Arbitration Committee and serves on the Board of Editors of the Securities Arbitration Commentator. Mr. Yellen is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law and frequently lectures on securities arbitration, mediation and securities law.

Having founded his practice in January 2006, Jim Yellen has completed nearly one thousand security and employment mediations and has settled over 90 percent of his cases. In the securities and commodities areas, he has resolved cases involving virtually every cause of action and every defense asserted in the past decade. Having tried almost one hundred arbitrations, sat on numerous panels for FINRA, NASD, NYSE, NFA AND AAA, trained arbitrators and spoken at or chaired numerous arbitration seminars, he brings a wealth of experience to the mediation arena.

In employment matters, Jim Yellen has represented both account executives and management. As a mediator, he has a finely honed sensitivity to the issues debated in wrongful discharge, discrimination, retaliatory actions, promissory note claims and wage and hour cases.

Finally, as a mediator of general commercial disputes, Jim Yellen endeavors to bring practical, smart solutions to the parties in order to avoid the expenditure of significant fees and expenses and make settlement a "win-win" for the parties. Yellen Arbitration and Mediation Services has one goal - to provide