Stradley Ronon senior counsel Bennett G. Picker (left) receives the “2010 American Bar Association’s (ABA) Lawyer as Problem Solver Award” from Former Chair of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section John Bickerman.

Stradley Ronon senior counsel Bennett G. Picker was named a recipient of the “2010 American Bar Association’s (ABA) Lawyer as Problem Solver Award.” Picker was recognized for his unprecedented insight into new avenues of dispute resolution. The award is presented annually to an individual or institution that demonstrates profound creativity in problem solving.

Picker is a full-time mediator and arbitrator in domestic and international disputes. From 1996 to 2007, he chaired the firm’s 13-lawyer ADR practice group, while mediating disputes between companies ranging from Fortune 500s to closely held businesses. He is the author of Mediation Practice Guide - A Handbook for Resolving Business Disputes published in 2003 by the American Bar Association Section on Dispute Resolution.

“I know of no individual who promotes early case assessment and use of ADR techniques more so than Ben Picker. He is the consummate problem solver,” said ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Executive Committee Member Phillip Armstrong, Senior Counsel for ADR and Litigation at Georgia-Pacific LLC. “Perhaps Ben’s greatest accomplishment is his unbridled enthusiasm for ADR – his genuine belief that the creative, problem-solving approach can produce better, more satisfying outcomes (and better service to clients) in a world where disputes are seldom black and white.”

Under Picker’s direction, Stradley Ronon was one of the first firms in the nation to recognize, embrace and promote ADR within a law firm setting. Contrary to the conflict typically found between a law firm’s interest in billable hours and the more cost-efficient approach of dispute resolution, Stradley Ronon made its problem solving approach to dispute resolution a part of the very fabric of the firm – something that is still rare in today’s law firms. Highlighting that commitment, the CPR Institute – a membership-based, nonprofit alliance of global corporations, law firms, scholars and public institutions – recognized Stradley Ronon for its leadership and dedication to the principles of conflict management and resolution in 2007, presenting the firm with its inaugural “Law Firm Award for Excellence in Alternative Dispute Resolution.”

“By fully embracing our approach to conflict management, we know we add value to our clients,” Picker said. “If our example can help promote enhanced law-firm commitments to ADR, we also will have the satisfaction of knowing that we have added value to our profession.”

As an advocate for his clients, Picker has trained many Stradley Ronon attorneys and in house corporate counsel on the art of mediating business disputes. This award acknowledges his efforts to provide ADR training to all the firm lawyers and many of its business clients. In receiving this award, Picker the ABA also recognized Picker’s institutional and personal commitments to women and minorities who wish to enter the field of ADR.

About Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young – www.stradley.com

Counseling clients since 1926, Stradley Ronon has helped private and public companies – from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations – achieve their goals. With six offices and more than 195 attorneys located throughout the mid-Atlantic region, Stradley Ronon is the only eastern Pennsylvania member of Meritas, the world’s largest affiliation of independent commercial law firms.