Jerome Rock

Jerome Rock is on the panel of Mediators and Arbitrators for the American Arbitration Association for its Commercial, Construction, and Large Complex cases. He also serves on the Panel of Arbitrators for the National Center for Dispute Settlement, and is available as a Private Arbitrator.
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Mr. Rock is an advocate for the use of Video Conferencing for both Mediation and Arbitration Hearings, and is a Zoom Professional Host.

Mr. Rock is also on the panel of civil mediators for the Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw County Circuit Courts, and as a mediator for the Oakland County Probate Court. He is also on the roster of approved ADR Neutrals for the Business Court for the Third and Sixteenth Judicial Circuits. Mr. Rock focuses on Business Court cases, particularly where there is an opportunity to engage in Early Case Mediation and enhanced multi stage facilitation for complex cases. His approach to Mediation relies on Interest Based Negotiation principles and he often schedules Pre-Mediation sessions with each party prior to the formal Mediation Hearing as a strategy to greatly improve the quality of the outcomes.

He has served as court-appointed mediator and special master in federal and state courts and acts as a facilitator of negotiations for complex business transactions for closely held and family business disputes. Mr. Rock has been a construction and business lawyer, a chief executive of a high tech engineering firm, and has degrees in both mechanical and civil engineering as well as law. Mr. Rock has been a licensed residential builder, a LEED accredited professional by the US Green Building Council, a former adjunct lecturer in engineering and construction law. He is a member of the Engineering Society of Detroit and served on the board of directors of the Michigan chapter of the Design-Build Institute of America. Mr. Rock is also a member of the Professional Resolution Experts of Michigan (PREMi) and an instructor for the SCAO-approved advanced mediation course on Med-Arb.

He is the Chapter Author for Settlement & Negotiation for Michigan Civil Procedure, the comprehensive treatise published by the Institute for Continuing Legal Education. His focus on academic research has a strong practical application that brings additional sophistication to the negotiation and settlement process. He encourages creative discussion at the Pre-Hearing phase and is a strong, positive force in the Mediation Hearing. He is a pragmatic problem solver in helping plaintiff or defense counsel deal with complicated situations and difficult clients.

Mediation of closely held and family business disputes invariably involve assets held in trust or have financial implications for estate plans. As a practicing attorney, Mr. Rock was an advisor for client's estate plans, acted as trustee of client estates and litigated disputes involving estates. Since 2002, Mr. Rock has been an approved Mediator for the Oakland County Probate Court. This experience as attorney and mediator transfers directly to business disputes involving trust administration and probate administration providing leadership in resolving family based issues.

Mr. Rock is AV® Peer Review Rated by LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell and a member of LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. The AV Peer Review rating is the highest rating allowed. It attests to a lawyer’s legal ability and professional ethics, and reflects the confidential opinions of the Bar and the Judiciary.

Mr Rock is also was named a Michigan Super Lawyer in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Only five percent of the attorneys in the state are named Super Lawyers. Mr. Rock was also recognized in DBusiness Magazine as a Top Lawyer.