Rees, J.B.

Most attorneys settle far more cases than they take to court. The high cost of litigation, in time, energy and actual expense, compels many parties into compromise.

David Redford knows all the reasons settlement is so important. Whether he is litigating a case or acting as a mediator or arbitrator, he works to bring people together and move forward. But he has tried many types of cases and knows the only way to successfully resolve a case is to have the reputation of being effective and ready to take a case to trial.

"I have many years of experience in a wide range of legal areas, acting as an advocate at times and a third-party neutral at others," he says. "Dispute resolution requires some qualities that are different from a litigator, but experience is a plus in both."

Mr. Redford has handled litigation for a pipeline contracting company for the past 30 years. He advises an international chemical trading company on commercial contracts. In the past year, he successfully reclaimed a living trust for the beneficiary after a trustee depleted it.

He also represented a Polish company that purchased defective geophysical equipment from an Oklahoma firm and was able to negotiate a resolution to the dispute without litigation.

Mr. Redford is a graduate of Texas Christian University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law. He received mediator training at the Attorney-Mediator Institute and the Dispute Resolution Center and is certified by the Association of Attorney Mediators, the Dispute Resolution Center and the Houston Maritime Arbitrator's Association.