“Your understanding of how government works was essential to our reaching an agreement.”
-Representative of town in mediation |
Dispute Resolution Experience
Jack Wofford, a long-time member of MWI’s mediation and arbitration panels, has broad experience in arbitration, mediation, facilitation, consensus-building and other forms of dispute resolution in a broad range of areas, including commercial, employment, environment, family-owned and other closely held business, insurance, organizations, personal injury, public policy, and complex development, real estate, construction and transportation projects. In 1999, President Clinton appointed Jack to a seat on the Federal Service Impasses Panel, which resolves disputes in negotiations between the Federal Government and its unionized employees.
A lawyer, Jack has done solely neutral work since 1987. His experience helping to resolve disputes involving municipalities builds on his many years as a government official, and includes extensive involvement with cities and towns in dealing with transportation plans and controversies; disputes over development, zoning, employment, personal injury, and other traditional governmental issues; and consultation with and training of municipal agencies in negotiation and conflict management. In the 1970's, Jack served in both state and federal government in transportation positions, including director of long-range transportation planning for the Boston area, Associate Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, and Deputy General Counsel of the US Department of Transportation. As an attorney in the real estate area (until 1986), Jack represented the City of Cambridge in the redevelopment of the East Cambridge riverfront, as well as private developers, neighborhood corporations, universities and agencies of state government in dealing with cities and towns over major projects.
Representative Matters
Sample projects handled by Mr. Wofford as mediator of disputes involving municipalities include:
- Allocation of financial responsibility for clean-up of Superfund site with industrial contamination of town water supply involving municipality and four alleged polluters
- Facilitation of advisory committee overseeing clean-up of Massachusetts Military Reservation Superfund site from multiple contaminated plumes affecting four towns.
- Dispute between contractor and two towns over construction of a waste-water treatment facility, including issues of costs, timeliness and quality of work
- Employment disputes (claimed discrimination, wrongful termination, failure to promote)
- Mediation of numerous disputes among municipal boards, neighbors, and developers over Section 40B affordable housing requirements and proposals
- Wetlands and other issues involving developers, neighbors, and state regulatory agency
- Personal injuries (“slip-and-fall” on sidewalks, accidents involving municipal vehicles)
- Police actions, including claimed false arrest and racial profiling for traffic violations
- Dispute over impacts on private property of town actions cleaning up after hurricane
- Transportation issues over proposed state highway projects involving neighbors, developers, private groups and the state agency
- Facilitation of 42-person Bridge Design Review Committee charged with recommending improvements in proposed bridge over Charles River as part of The Big Dig, leading to Boston’s widely-praised Zakim-Bunker Hill Bridge.
- Facilitation and mediation of issues among City of Boston, Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, developers, non-profit groups and residents over developments planned for South Boston as part of Municipal Harbor Plan
- Facilitation of advisory process to amend zoning for major development site
- Mediation of dispute among town, college, neighbors over proposed college expansion
- Assessment of effectiveness of city Community Development Department
Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities
- Member of the Bars of Massachusetts, New York, and District of Columbia (DC inactive)
- Former Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel (1999-2002 - Presidential appointment)
- Member, Association of Conflict Resolution (International and New England)
- Author of numerous articles on conflict management and consensus building
- Recipient of “Spirit of Mediation” award from community mediation program for his 16 years service on its board of directors and his 40 years of consensus-building (2010)
- Recipient of “History Makers Award: Innovations in Historic City-Building” for civic participation in resolution of major transportation controversies (2004)
- Roster of Facilitators of the US Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution
- Former Co-Chair, Boston Bar Association Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution, Section of Labor & Employment Law (1997-99)
Lectures and ADR Trainings Conducted
Jack has conducted trainings in conflict management, consensus building, mediation and negotiation for the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association, US Department of Justice, Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution, New England chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution, Boston and Massachusetts Bar Associations, Family Firm Institute, and a number of corporations, universities and groups.
Background and Education
- LLB, Harvard Law School (1962)
- BA, MA, Oxford University (1959) (Rhodes Scholar)
- BA cum laude, Harvard College (1957)
- Former Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel (Presidential appointment) (1999-2002)
- Senior Consultant and Mediator, Endispute, Inc., Boston, MA (1987-93), conducting wide range of mediations and consulting to corporations and government agencies on cost-effective legal management
- Real Estate Department, Csaplar & Bok, Boston, MA (associate 1979-81; partner 81-86)
- Deputy General Counsel, US Department of Transportation, Washington, DC (1977-79)
- Director, Central Transportation Planning Staff, Boston, MA (1974-77)
- Associate Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Public Works (1972-74)
- Director, Boston Transportation Planning Review (1971-73)
- Associate Director and Fellow, Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School (1966-69)
- Project Director and Research Associate, Harvard Law School (1966-70)
- Staff Assistant, Community Action Program, US Office of Economic Opportunity (1964-66)
- Law Clerk, US District Judge for the District of Columbia, Washington, DC (1962-64)
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