William J. Hazzard, Esq.
Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator and Qualified Arbitrator
A Message from Bill
I am a full-time Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator and a Qualified Arbitrator based in Naples, Florida with the ability to "travel" throughout Florida and beyond using my Zoom Pro account to assist you with your virtual Alternative Dispute Resolution needs.
In mediation I apply my years of experience as a litigator, business owner and community leader to help parties involved in a dispute find an acceptable result for themselves so that they do not have to rely on a judge or jury to determine the result for them. As an arbitrator, I combine the legal knowledge I have developed through 23 years of applying the law to the facts of a case to provide litigants and their counsel with a reasoned decision that they can understand. A list below contains a representative sample of the types of cases in which I have previously participated.
I would be happy to assist you with your case. Please feel free to contact me for additional information.
About
William J. (“Bill”) Hazzard, an AV Preeminent rated attorney and Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator and Qualified Arbitrator, was born in Glen Rock, New Jersey on April 16, 1956. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Richmond in 1978 and began his business career with IBM in a variety of sales, management, personnel and public relations positions in Virginia and Florida.
Bill left IBM and pursued his law degree from the University of Florida College of Law, graduating with high honors in 1993. While at the University of Florida he served as associate articles editor of the Law Review and received both the Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Graduate Student Scholarship Award and the Alumni Council Scholarship Award. Following law school he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Susan H. Black, United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, during the 1993‐94 court term.
In 1994, after completing his judicial clerkship, Bill began his commercial litigation practice in Naples. He became the managing shareholder of Coleman, Hazzard, Taylor & Diaz, P.A. in 2005. In 2010, Bill began to develop a mediation practice and became a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil mediator, followed by becoming a Qualified Arbitrator in 2012. Beginning in January 2018, Bill became of counsel to his firm, now known as Coleman, Hazzard, Taylor, Klaus, Doupe' and Diaz, to devote his full-time efforts to mediation and arbitration. Currently, he is available to mediate cases in all Florida state courts and in the Federal Court for the Middle District of Florida and to serve as an arbitrator in both binding and non-binding settings. Bill brings a wealth of legal and practical experience, knowledge and commitment to his role as a mediator or arbitrator.
A firm believer in giving back to the community, Bill has served on the board of directors of Grace Place for Children and Families. He is also a past president and former board member of the Collier County Bar Association, past president of the United Way of Collier County and past president of the Greater Delray Beach (Fla.) Chamber of Commerce. Bill is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and all Florida state courts.
Bill is the author of “Professional Responsibility: Duties Owed to an Unrepresented Party”, 44 Fl. L. Rev. 3, July 1992; “Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practice to Deceive Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines: Enhancing Sentences for Defendant Perjury at Trial”, 44 Fl. L. Rev. 4, September, 1992; and “The Effect of Inadvertent Disclosure of Confidential Communication on the Attorney Client Privilege”, 17 Trial Advocate Quarterly 1, Spring, 1997.
Contact Bill by phone at 239‐298‐5207 (direct) or email him at bill@mediatornaples.org for more information or to enlist his assistance as a mediator or arbitrator.
Experience
Following is a representative list of the types of state or federal cases Bill is prepared to mediate or arbitrate throughout Florida. This list is not exhaustive. Call Bill to inquire about his experience if your type of case is not listed below.
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Partnership Disputes
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Breach of Contract
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Commercial Torts
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Complex Commercial Litigation
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Corporate/Business Law
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Corporate Dissolutions
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Probate, Trust, Wills & Guardianship Disputes
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Construction Litigation
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Lien Law Claims
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Real Estate Sales Disputes
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Johnson v. Davis Claims
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Insurance Claims
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Personal Injury
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Disputes w/ government districts & agencies
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Partition actions
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Auto accidents
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Real Estate Commission Disputes
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Homeowner/Condo Owner and Association Problems
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Sale of Business
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Foreclosure
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Promissory Note Obligations
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Employee/Employer Litigation
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Employment Discrimination
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Property/Title/Easement/Boundary Disputes
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Commercial Landlord-Tenant Issues
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Pre- and Post-judgment Collection
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Attorney Fee Disputes
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ADA Claims
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LLC Member Disputes
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Hurricane Claims
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Board of Directors Issues
Availability
Bill is currently available to mediate or arbitrate for you by zoom on the following days:
Dec. 2024: No further availability
Jan. 2025: No further availability
Feb. 2025: 3, 5, 10, 11, 18 - 20, 24, 26
Mar. 2025: 3 - 6, 17 - 20, 24 - 27, 31
April 2025: 1, 3, 7 - 10,14 - 17, 21, 24, 28 - 30
May 2025: 1, 2, 6 - 8, 12, 13, 15, 19 - 22, 28, 29
June 2025: 2 - 5, 9 - 12, 16 - 19, 23 - 26, 30
USING ZOOM PRO EXCLUSIVELY TO HOST VIRTUAL MEDIATION OR ARBITRATION.
To reserve any of these dates or for later availability, e-mail bill@mediatornaples.org or call him at (239) 298-5207.
Fees & Policies
Bill's hourly rate is $450.00. The rate is divided evenly among the participants. There is a three (3) hour minimum charge for both mediation and arbitration services. Payment is due within 15 days of the invoice date.
There is no cancellation fee if you cancel more than two (2) business days in advance. Within two days, the three (3) hour minimum charge is the cancellation fee. Additional charges and one week's notice apply to multi-day sessions. See confirmation letter for details. Please notify Bill as soon as possible if you need to cancel so that he can schedule something else in place of the mediation or arbitration.
CONDUCTING MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION EXCLUSIVELY USING ZOOM PRO
Speaking Engagements
"Mediators Have Ethics?" Collier County Bar Association Ethics Seminar, January 2017
"Alternative Dispute Resolution: What Every Certified Association Manager Should Know," Resort Management, Inc. Continuing Education Series, February 2017
"Alternative Dispute Resolution: What Every Board Member Should Know," Resort Management, Inc. Continuing Education Series, March 2017
"A Mediator's Perspective on Mediation," Collier County Bar Association Trial Lawyers Section, September 2017
"Ten Tips for a Successful Mediation and Ten Sure Ways to Kill a Mediation," Collier County Bar Association Trial Lawyers, Section, June 2019