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Nathan D. Alder, Esq.  Christensen & Jensen, P.C. www.chrisjen.com
15 West South Temple, Suite 800
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Email: nathan.alder@chrisjen.com
Nate Alder has been involved in Utah's mediation community since 1995, the year he returned to Utah and became a lawyer. He studied ADR at Indiana University-Bloomington where he obtained a Masters in public policy (M.P.A.) as well as his law degree (J.D.). Later, Nate formally trained to become a mediator at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Utah Business magazine has named him one of the top mediators in Utah (2012 Legal Elite). He is a Court-Qualified Mediator on the Utah State Court Roster of Mediators.
As a leader in the field, Nate has served as a mediator in many kinds of matters, including:
- business partnerships,
- dissolution,
- corporate governance,
- complicated business decisions,
- board conflict,
- fiduciary claims,
- distribution of assets,
- sale of business,
- collections,
- business and contract interference claims,
- contractual breach,
- restitution for victims of investment fraud,
- business torts,
- personal employment contracts,
- non-compete agreements,
- proprietary compromise,
- commercial leases,
- financial lending,
- real property disputes,
- land development,
- real estate investing,
- real estate purchase contracts,
- commercial litigation,
- construction matters,
- liens,
- professional liability,
- professional services and fee disputes,
- product liability,
- insurance (coverage, excess, bad faith, agent/broker),
- personal disputes,
- defamation,
- fraud and misrepresentation claims,
- negligence claims,
- property damage,
- trucking,
- personal injury (paraplegia, traumatic brain injury, other significant injuries), and
- wrongful death.
As a mediator, Nate values confidentiality, creative processes, cost/benefit analyses, effective communication, collaborative efforts, professionalism, trust, and clear settlement agreements.
Nate lectures and presents on a variety of ADR topics. He co-founded and later chaired ('03-'04) the Dispute Resolution Section of the Utah State Bar. He is the immediate past chair of the Utah Council on Conflict Resolution (UCCR) and has served on that board since 2004. He served on the ADR Committeee of the Utah State Courts and is a member of the ABA's Dispute Resolution Section. He founded and continues to serve as chair of his firm's Dispute Resolution Practice Group. He has served as a Special Master in a significant commercial case and has also been a group facilitator for numerous community groups and nonprofit organizations.
Nate is a uniquely qualified mediator because he maintains a full-time civil litigation practice -- split 50/50 -- representing plaintiffs and defendants. As a new attorney he was formally trained by two of the state's top trial lawyers and his mentors at the firm, Rich Humpherys (on the plaintiff's side) and Phil Ferguson (on the defense). A shareholder at Christensen & Jensen since 2001, he has remained committed to representing both plaintiffs and defendants in various matters. For example, he has represented individuals and families in multi-million dollar injury and damage cases while also handling defense matters for some of the nation's most recognized corporations. His commercial litigation experience involves handling both claims and defenses along a spectrum of legal areas. Nate's abilities on both sides of a case give him a special perspective, and thus he is able to help parties better understand the mediation process, see pros and cons, be realistic during the process, and timely achieve appropriate results.
Nate was elected by Utah's lawyers to serve as president of the Utah State Bar during 2008-2009 which saw the tumult of the economic recession and tremendous strain on the profession. He handled delicate issues that year but was also fortunate enough to be at the helm when the Court and Bar launched the New Lawyer Training Program (mentoring). He has served in other capacities, including as a Bar Commissioner (2003-2010) and as president of Utah's Young Lawyers (2001-2002). His bar president colleagues chose him to serve as president of the Western States Bar Conference (17 states) in 2012-2013. He also serves on the Utah Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Professionalism (2002-present) and the Utah Supreme Court's Committee on New Lawyer Training (2010-present). He is a former Utah Bar Examiner and member of the Admissions Committee. In 2011 he was appointed to the ABA's Standing Committee on Professionalism.
Nate is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell (2005-present). Super Lawyers magazine (Thomson Reuters) recognizes him as one of "The Top 75" lawyers in a five state region (Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming); as one of the top lawyers in Utah for a particular field (product liability, 2007-present); and as a top litigator in its national Business Edition (2009-present). Utah Business magazine has named him one of the state's "Legal Elite" each year of its edition and in various categories, including mediation, civil trial, personal injury, and pro bono. All of these recognitions are based on peer reviews.
For his work in the community Nate has received several awards, including the Irene Fisher Engaged Citizen Award (Utah Campus Compact, 2005), the Raymond S. Uno Award for the Advancement of Minorities in the Legal Profession (Utah State Bar, 2011), a Heart & Hands Award (Utah Nonprofits Association, 2000), Merit Citation Award (Utah State University, 2007), Outstanding Service Award (Lawyers Helping Lawyers, 2010), and Friend of the College (Utah State University, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, 2011). He was also honored as a distinguished alumni speaker at Utah State University (2009) and as keynote speaker at the Utah Leadership Academy (2010).
After law school, Nate was honored to serve as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. J. Thomas Greene, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Utah (1995-1996). Nate is involved in many organizations, including the National Conference of Bar Presidents, ALFA International's Professional Liability Practice Group and the Product Liability Lawyers Network, the ABA's Auto Law Committee, and the ABA's Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section. He currently serves as Chair of the Personal Injury Section of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society.
For Nate's firm bio: www.chrisjen.com/Default.aspx?PageID=3
For Nate's LinkedIn bio: www.linkedin.com/in/utahattorney
Nate is committed to continuing education. Select mediation training includes the International Academy of Mediators (Teresa Wakeen, Mark Rudy, Bill Bohling, Michael Young, Clifford Hendler, Karin Hobbs, Tracy Allen, Eric Galton); various Utah State Bar, Dispute Resolution Section and "Utah ADR Academy" events (Joe Epstein, Bill Bohling, Karin Hobbs, Paul Felt, Jeff Krivis, Forrest "Woody" Mosten, Jim Melamed); Utah Council on Conflict Resolution events (Kenneth Cloke, Jeff Krivis, Lee Jay Berman, Jim Melamed, Karin Hobbs, Bill Bohling, Velvet Rodriguez-Poston, Jim Holbrook, Josh King, Meggan McLean Stein, Tamara Fackrell); The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University (Lee Jay Berman, Nina Meierding, Denise Madigan, Jeff Krivis); and other programs.
Mediation Rate: $275 per hour
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