David A. Schaefer

Overview

David A. Schaefer is a Principal Attorney at McCarthy Lebit. He focuses the majority of his practice on serving as a mediator and adjudicating arbitration disputes. He also has extensive litigation and trial experience in complex business and tort matters, addressing a diverse spectrum of personal and business grievances.

David spent most of his career arguing and defending clients in a wide range of business and tort litigation, product and professional liability, employment discrimination, and construction litigation claims. In recognition of his distinguished litigation and trial advocacy, he was selected as a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an honor awarded to a highly select group of accomplished trial attorneys. David is also a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, an invitation-only organization comprising leading corporate and insurance defense attorneys and insurance executives worldwide, further underscoring his reputation for litigation excellence.

Over the years, his practice evolved with the growing popularity of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as a cost-effective and timelier alternative to traditional court-based litigation. As David gained more experience with ADR, he also sought to expand his capabilities and skillset to deliver a stronger service to his clients. Today, David's ADR practice is comprised of legal disputes for which he now routinely acts as the neutral party, overseeing the resolution of conflict by either adjudicating the facts and evidence to render a decision in an arbitration that typically is legally binding, or by advising and guiding the parties in a legal dispute toward a resolution that is mutually agreeable to both sides as a mediator.

David's ADR success as a neutral is easily attributed to his significant career as a courtroom litigator, where he forged relationships with co-counsel and opposing counsel for many years. Ohio litigators who know David and his track record of success in the courtroom also acknowledge the reputation he has earned for strong judgment and fairness as an arbitrator and mediator. The longevity of those relationships and the depth of trust David has earned from his peers is never more obvious than when they repeatedly seek out his expertise to help one of their clients resolve a dispute.

David's seasoned judgement and fair-mindedness as a neutral have earned him recognition and admittance to The National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, an invitation-only alternative dispute resolution professional association. Additionally, David is a "Life Member" of the Eighth District and Sixth Circuit Judicial Conferences.