Utah ADR Services

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.

As a leader in the profession, Nate has served as a mediator in many kinds of cases, including business partnership problems and dissolution, corporate governance issues, asset negotiation, contractual breach and interference, sale of business, personal employment contracts, non-competes, commercial leases, financial lending, proprietary compromise, real property disputes, land development, real estate purchase contracts, commercial litigation, construction, liens, professional liability, products liability, insurance, and claims involving fraud, misrepresentation, negligence, property damage, personal injury (paraplegia and other significant injuries) and wrongful death. 

As a mediator, Nate values confidentiality, respect, civility, effective communication, understanding, deliberation, process, effort, professionalism and clear settlement agreements.  He has lectured and presented on a variety of ADR topics and has also served as a special master in a significant commercial case.

Nate co-founded and later chaired the Dispute Resolution Section of the Utah State Bar.  Since 2004 he has served on the Board of the Utah Council on Conflict Resolution (UCCR); he will Chair UCCR in 2010-2011 and is actively involved in planning symposia, forums, CLEs and other programs.  He previously served on the ADR Committeee of the Utah State Courts and is a current member of the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association.  He also founded and continues to serve as Chair of his firm's Dispute Resolution Practice Group.

Nate is a uniquely qualified mediator because he maintains a private litigation practice that splits 50/50 in representing both plaintiffs and defendants.  As a new attorney he was formally trained by two of the state's top trial lawyers, L. Rich Humpherys on the plaintiff's side and Phillip S. Ferguson on the defense.  He has been a shareholder at Christensen & Jensen since 2001 and 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 and manufacturers.  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, thus helping the parties better understand the mediation process, see pros and cons, be realistic, 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, budget cuts, unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcies, and tremendous strain on lawyers, judges, and the entire profession; he handled many delicate matters, issues and developments as President 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).  In 2010 his bar president colleagues elected him to serve as Vice President of the Western States Bar Conference (17 State Bars in the West) and he will be WSBC President in 2013.  He 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 Bar Examiner and has served on the Admissions Committee.

Nate is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.  Since 2007, he has been recognized as a Super Lawyer for Utah and since 2009 has been listed in the national Corporate Counsel Edition of Super Lawyers.  Utah Business magazine continues to name him one of Utah's Legal Elite.  For his work in the community he has received the Irene Fisher Engaged Citizen Award from Utah Campus Compact, a Heart & Hands Award from the Utah Nonprofits Association, and a Merit Citation Award from Utah State University.  He was 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 active in many organizations, including the National Council of Bar Presidents, the ABA's Auto Law Committee, and the ABA's Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section.

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); The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University (Lee Jay Berman, Nina Meierding, Denise Madigan, Jeff Krivis); and other programs.

Mediation Rate: $250 per hour