BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY

Chase Saunders is a Charlotte native, married, with children and grandchildren. He attended Charlotte schools, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CPCC, and Queens. He studied law and served as an Assistant District Attorney, Chief District Court Judge, and Superior Court Judge prior before entering the private practice of law with the McNair Law Firm, a practice with offices in North and South Carolina.  At present he conducts a private dispute resolution and counseloring law practice. He is also engaged in business brokerage and commercial real estate.  He is active in the civic and professional affairs.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

• 2016 Founded Saunders Law, PLLC
• 2016 Formed Carolina M&A, LLC.
• 2000 to 2016. The McNair Law Firm, P.A. SPECIAL COUNSEL and Notary Public
• 1999 Dozier Miller Law Firm OF COUNSEL
• 1998-1999 Principal in Chasemediates a mediation-arbitration service
• 1997 appointed Emergency Superior Court Judge
• 1997 retired as Senior Resident Superior Court Judge 26^th Judicial District
• 1984 elected and 1994 re-elected to the Superior Court Bench
• 1982 appointed Superior Court Judge by Governor James B. Hunt
• 1977 appointed Chief District Court Judge by Justice Susie Sharp
• 1976 elected and 1980 re-elected District Court Judge
• 1972-1976 appointed Assistant District Attorney by Thomas F. Moore, Jr.

EDUCATION

• University Prep: Eastover Elementary; A. G. Junior High, Myers Park High School
• University: The University of North Carolina; BA in History-English
• Graduate: The University of North Carolina; JD in Law
• Post Graduate: Central Piedmont Community College; AA in Accounting
• Queens University Certified Financial Planning course study
• Mingle Real Estate School: Real estate broker licensing course

RECENT CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

• Carolina Regional Business Alliance Legislative Committees, Airport Committee
• Charlotte International Arbitration Society, Founder and Board of Directors
• Former Chair of the non-profit Justice Initiatives, a court-support entity which raises funds, serves as a pass through, accepts and processes justice-related in conjunction with the office of the Trial Court Administrator. I was on the original committee which formed that organization. See www.justiceinitiatives.org See Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTsgU20qcCw&feature=youtu.be
• Member of Charlotte Rotary, Chair of Environmental Committee. Involved in projects to benefit the Greenway including the Rotary Clock; tree canopy and restoration projects; academic initiatives, wildlife habitat creations and other related projects. See www.charlotterotary.org  See tree planting video:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOFnY-Pq53Y&feature=youtube
• Board Chair of the 2016 Charlotte Rotary Soccer Initiative
• Member World Affairs of Charlotte Council
• Member Carolinas World Trade Association
• Presenter and promoter of Regional Development Initiatives and the Charlotte 2030 vision theme: Create It, Make It, Move It with CPCC President Tony Zeiss and nationally-recognized urban planner Michael Gallis; see Great Ideas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hSIBygeKJc&feature=share;
• See Charlotte Observer Global Competitiveness article noted below outlining content of civic speaking engagements on the topic:
• http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/28/4729156/can-charlotte-become-a-global.html#.UxCG1J0o6JA
• Greater CharlotteBiz October 2012 edition feature http://issuu.com/greatercharlottebiz/docs/greater_charlotte_biz_2012.10/1
• Trail of History Board of Directors and Founding Member
• May 20th Society Advisory Board and initiator of the Captain James Jack bronze stature build at the intersection of Kings Drive and Fourth Street. See www.May20thSociety.org.
• Former President of the Mecklenburg Historical Association; created the content for the website; set up email meeting structure; wrote and published newsletters. See www.meckdec.org , Board member; Member SAR
• Global Vision Group Steering Committee 2005 – 2016
  
• 2012 Presenter, CPCC Charlotte Regional Competitiveness Summit, www.cpcc.edu/clc/global/speakersflier?searchterm=cms; http://www.cpcc.edu/clc/global/resources
• Local artist see North Carolina gallery at www.chasesaundersart.com
• See Charlotte Arts video clip http://www.cpcc.edu/tv/programs/cpccprograms/charlotte-arts/charlotte-arts-chase-and-carolyn-saunders-1
• See Charlotte Observer May 2013: http://m.charlotteobserver.com/charlotte/db_108651/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=URagshNO
• Promotional organizations establishing the Captain James Jack: Spirit of Liberty statue installation on the Greenway, Rotary Clock on the Greenway, Charlotte Airport Captain Jack Exhibit on Concourse A
• Member, Mecklenburg County Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution

RECENT PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT

• Mecklenburg County Bar
• North Carolina State Bar
• Justice William Bobbitt Inn of Court, former Master, www.justicebobbittinn.org/
• Former Chair, Justice Initiatives
• North Carolina Bar Association Lawyer Quality of Life Committee
• North Carolina Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section
• Notary Public

CASE CONSULTATION FOR ATTORNEYS

Sometimes an attorney needs a second set of eyes on a case in other find a path forward. After 47 years on the bench and in private practice I am available to provide this confidential service. This is an attorney consultation and does not contemplate serving as co-counsel or in an expert capacity.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION SERVICES

Conflict Resolution Services

• State Court Mediations
• Federal Court Mediations
• AAA Arbitrations
• Private Arbitrations
• Case Consultation for Attorneys

Topics

• See lists under Mediation Cases
• See list of areas under Arbitration Cases

Including

• Advanced manufacturing
• Business ownership
• Contract
• Fintech
• Medical industry
• Hospitality industry
• Insurance
• Personal injury
• Professional entity: doctor/lawyer
• Real estate
• Sports industry
• Supply chain
• Technology hardware/software
• UCC
• Unfair trade practice/competition
• Asbestos/mesothelioma
• Consumer cases
• Construction arbitration
• Data analytics/technology arbitration
• Debtor/creditor arbitration
• Hardware/software cases
• Healthcare arbitration
• Hospitality industry arbitration
• Personal injury cases
• Unfair competition

BUSINESS CONSULTING OFFICE PRACTICE

Business development. Global business strategy planning. Business incorporation and business issues. China business development consultation.

MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION PRACTICE

Private services. Arbitration and Mediation

FORMER GENERAL BUSINESS PRACTICE

It included representation of clients as plaintiff or defendant in litigation including healthcare ( trial, representation, arbitration, and mediation experience regarding: (a) auditing of healthcare bills,(b) balance billing, (c) billing disputes,(d) bona fide wellness programs, (e) clean claims, (f) coverage claims, (g) dialysis payment, (h) discounting, (i) employee EEOC claims, (j) HIPAA phi issues, (k) joint ventures, (l) master plan issues, (m) malpractice claims; (n) nurse practitioner contracts, (o) practice ownership disputes, (p) practice pension disputes, (q) reimbursement issues, (r ) self-insured issues, (s) third party administration operations, (t) confidentiality and non-competition agreements ), accounting malpractice, construction and property ( trial, representation, arbitration, and mediation experience regarding: (a) AIA contracts; (b) residential property matters including contruction defect, warranty breach, construction contract, punch list and construction contract breach cases, neighborhood association covenant breach cases, title disputes; (c) multi-family matters in a condominium complex setting involving EFIS isses and seven-figure claims; (d) architect and engineers matters including AIA contract disputes, site design services, contract breach; (e) condemnation of residential and commercial properties; (f) developers issues including disputes regarding site preparation, construction trespass, warranty breach, improper building location; (g) commercial cases including hotel owner, general contractor and sixteen subcontractor cases, grading disputes with owners and state agencies, letters of intent, and hotel purchase agreements; (h) partitioning of tracts ), estate, non-competition and trade secret issues, and title insurance matters. Family practice: litigation of equitable distribution, marital agreements, divorce, powers of attorney, incompetency hearings, estate litigation, senior issue matters.

JUDICIAL BACKGROUND

Judicial: Retired N.C. general jurisdiction Chief District and Senior Resident Superior Court Judge with twenty-one years bench and jury trial experience in all civil and criminal litigation matters including commercial, personal injury, malpractice, and death penalty cases. Service on the bench required conducting several successful political campaigns. For 16 years he was the Program Committee Chair for the N.C. Conference of Superior Court Judges.

HONORS AND RECOGNITION

• N.C. Governor’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine
• Justice Initiatives Service Award
• Global Trade Leadership Award
• District Distinquished Rotarian Award
• Rotary Paul Harris Fellow Award
• N.C. Courts Technology Award
• N.C. Superior Court Judicial Education Committee Award
• City-County Bond Committee certificate
• Mecklenburg County Jaycees Man of the Year
• Boy Scouts of America District Distinguished Service Award
• Charlotte Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Men

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE TRAINING/CERTIFICATIONS/PRACTICE/RECOGNITION

• 2019 NC Certified Superior Court Mediator
• 2019 American Arbitration Association Commercial and Healthcare Arbitration Panel
• 2019 Beijing Arbitration Commission – ICDR briefing
• 2019 Best Lawyers in America in Dispute Resolution
• 2012 AAA Training: Chairing an Arbitration Panel Managing Procedures, Process & Dynamics
• 2010 AAA Training: Arbitrator Ethics & Disclosure
• 2005 AAA Training: Dealing with Delay Tactics in Arbitration
• 2004 AAA Training: Arbitration Awards: Safeguarding, Deciding & Writing Awards
• 2004 Family Financial Planning Certification
• 2002 AAA Advanced Commercial Arbitration Certification
• 2001 NASD, now FINRA, Public Arbitrator Chairperson Certification
• 2000 Federal Court Mediator
• 2001 N.C. Industrial Commission Mediator
• 2001 N.C. Certified Mediator Certification renewal
• 2001 EEOC Mediation Certification
• 1997 AAA Training: Construction Arbitrator Training Workshop
• 1997 NASD Arbitrator Certification
• 1997 N.C. Department of Public Instruction Arbitrator Certification
• 1996 AAA Commercial Arbitration National Panel Member

DISPUTE RESOLUTION PRACTICE

Alternative Dispute Resolution Experience Mediation experience in over 1200 cases involving shareholder and director disputes, personal injury, malpractice, contract, complex business cases, hardware and software contracts, hospital disputes, hotel disputes, environmental issues, intellectual property, condemnation, Uniform Commercial Code, EEOC, textile extruding and printing machinery, real estate, business torts, non-compete, estates and probate, securities, sports industry, construction, DENR, employment, workers compensation, domestic, patent, shareholder, telecommunications,  attorney and medical professional disputes, healthcare, and accounting matters.

Arbitration experience in hundreds of cases involving the same areas noted above with a focus on complex cases serving as an individual arbitrator or as a member of a panel. Has served as a panel chair in over 90% of the cases served upon with AAA as well as others. Private arbitration: director and shareholder disputes. Umpire – evaluation of liability and damages in fire and casualty loss cases. Receiver – service as a receiver in business liquidation matters. Referral work from federal and state courts.

MEDIATION/VALUATION

Mediated shareholder, software, employment, medical malpractice, ERISA, copyright infringement, health care provider patient disputes, collection, construction, property damage, estates, technology auditing, website, robotic welders, photo-processing equipment, catastrophic personal injury cases, homeowner association disputes, governmental, environmental, franchises, stucco, trademark and patent, wrongful death, non-competition agreements, business breakups, broker-customer FINRA securities issues, etc. involving multiple parties and complex issues for State and Federal Court. I mediate over 150 cases per year.

MEDIATION CONSULTATION WITH ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS

Engaged by universities to consult on faculty and town and gown disputes in 2000 and 2001 with the design of dispute resolution systems. Mediation of faculty peer to peer matters.

TECHNOLOGY MEDIATION/ARBITRATION

Mediated and arbitrated software and hardware, copyright, trademark, and installation disputes involving private businesses and governments.

MEDICAL MEDIATION/ARBITRATION

Mediated, arbitrated, or presided over well over a thousand,  zero to six figure+ cases involving physicians, opticians, hospitals, medical service and product suppliers. Extensive personal injury evaluation mediation experience involving body parts, percentages of disability, and pain and suffering. Handled over 500 personal injury cases including medical malpractice in my 39 year legal career. Medical malpractice cases include misdiagnosis of eye conditions, radial keratotomy; breast cancer, arteriograms, foreign objects, and wrongful death arising from improper medication, etc.

ARBITRATION

Served on cases involving; construction, hospitality industry, medical insurance – medical service provider, UM/UIM automobile liability and damages, personal injury, construction, common carrier, buy sell agreements, CERCLA, medical malpractice, public school employee removal, securities, efficiency studies, license agreements, construction, fire loss cases, medical industry hospital and product disputes, hotel industry disputes, sports industry, consumer, telecommunication industry,  FINRA securities disputes in both an individual and multi-panel arbitrator capacities on suitability, fraud, fiduciary, and trading ahead cases. Service on American Arbitration Association panels. Director, Charlotte International Arbitration Society.

FACULTY AND OTHER SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

I make presentation to civic organizations on a number of topics. If you need a 20 or 30 minute presentation on any of the following topics, make an inquiry by email.

Current topics include

• 8 Courthouses: A history of the Mecklenburg County Courthouses
• The Trail of History: An history of the bronze statues installed on the Kings Drive Greenway
• Global Charlotte: A history of business in Charlotte and the booms which created the Queen City
• Modern China: A description of the meteoric, U.S. supported rise of China and its implications

Seminar Presenter: Global Trade and Charlotte
Seminar Presenter: YOUR FINANCIAL TOOLKIT
Seminar Presenter: Introduction to Securities Arbitration
Education Program Chair; NC Conference of Superior Court Judges
Arbitration…It’s Popping Up Everywhere”, NCATL Seminar
“Mediation for Young Lawyers” MCB seminar (Nov.)
“Understanding the Internet”; presentation to the FUNB CIC Dept.
“Introduction to Conservation Easements” MCB October seminar
“View from the Bench”; MCB litigation seminar speaker
”INTERNET CIVICS”: the internet and government; Civitan, Rotary
“Internet Applications for the Paralegal”; N.C. Paralegal Assn.
Mediation Mistakes: North Carolina Trial Lawyers seminar
Myers Park High National Honor Society Award Ceremony speaker
Mediation Do’s and Don’ts: Mecklenburg Bar riminal Law Update Seminar with U.S. Magistrate Carl Horn
Superior Court Judicial Conference: disc technology update training
NCATL : “Do’s and Don’ts for Plaintiff’s Attorneys: Judicial View”
Fourth Circuit – N. C. Annual Criminal Law – Technology Review
MCB-CLE speaker: “Mediation in the Real World: Judicial Perspective”
Program Chair and speaker responsible for planning and presenting three, mandatory judicial conferences for the Superior Judges of North Carolina
Presenter on topics including evidence, injunctions, non-compete covenants, capital case management, negotiation, and jury-assisted settlement trials
N.C.B.A. panelist on legal education
Presenter on evidence at Prof. Ronald Price’s evidence seminar
Presenter on evidence at Prof. Walter Blakey’s evidence seminar
Presenter at the N.C. Paralegal Annual Conference
Presenter on ethics to new bar admittees
Presenter on tort case evaluation
Presenter to Fourth Division bar on evidence
Practicing Law Institute seminar faculty
Business Law Instructor: Central Piedmont Community College in business law contracts and negotiable instruments