SANDRA A. SELLERS
Technology Mediation Services
6510 Heather Brook Court
McLean, VA 22101
(703) 734-1810
CURRENT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Technology Mediation Services, LLC, McLean, VA, May 1998 to present.
President and neutral. Face-to-face and online mediation and arbitration of complex business disputes, breach of contract, intellectual property infringement and licensing, domain name, e-commerce, employment contracts, and computer hardware and software disputes.
Training. Provides training in mediation skills and mediation advocacy.
Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, 2003 to present.
Adjunct Professor in Mediation; Faculty coach for student international online negotiation competition team (2003 bronze medal winners).
George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC. 2010 to present.
Professorial Lecturer in Law. Adjunct professor in Mediation.
PAST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Software Publishers Association (SPA), Washington, DC, June 1994 to April 1998.
Vice President of Intellectual Property Education and Enforcement. Managed all anti-piracy activities, including international and domestic copyright and trademark enforcement, for 1200 member trade association. Negotiated domestic and international licenses related to SPA educational programs and materials; advised members on software licenses and litigation. Developed and implemented the Software Industry Mediation Service. Managed department with $4 million budget, and supervised outside counsel, investigators, and consultants.
Willian Brinks Olds Hofer Gilson & Lione (formerly Lupo & Lever), Washington, DC, October 1984 to May 1994.
Partner (January 1989 to May 1994). International trade and intellectual property litigation, counseling and licensing, including patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyright. First and second chair responsibility, as well as team management of complex litigation before federal courts and U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Extensive personnel and office management responsibility during 100% growth in office.
US International Trade Commission, Washington, DC, April 1982 to October 1984.
Attorney-advisor (September 1983 to October 1984) and student law clerk (April 1982 to May 1983) to the Chief Administrative Law Judge. Acted as liaison between counsel and judge; drafted opinions and orders; assisted judge at trial; and carried out administrative responsibilities of the chief judge.
OTHER SELECTED LEGAL ACTIVITIES
American Bar Association, Member of E-Commerce and ADR Task Force (2000-02); Member of Y2K ADR Task Force (1999-2000).
International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), Chair of CPR’s Committee on Information Technology Conflict Management, which developed more effective ways to avoid and resolve conflict in IT projects.
International Trademark Association (INTA): Board of Directors (2005-07); Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee (Chair, 2002-03; Vice-Chair, 1999-2001).
ITC Trial Lawyers Association: President (1993), President-Elect (1992), Vice-President
(1991), Secretary (1990), and Chair of Regulations Committee (1985-89).
Author: Avoiding and Resolving Information Technology Disputes, (author of chapters 1, 4, 6), International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR) (2005); “Ethics and Online Dispute Resolution,” Dispute Resolution Ethics: A Comprehensive Guide, American Bar Association (2002); "Practice At The International Trade Commission," Intellectual Property Counseling and Litigation, Matthew Bender & Co., (multi-volume treatise published 1988-94); various articles on mediation, software licensing, intellectual property litigation.
Lecturer: Before groups such as American Bar Association, Practising Law Institute, American Law Institute-American Bar Association, CLE International, Computer Law Association, Fulcrum Information Services, International Trademark Association, Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution, Virginia Mediation Network, and SPA's Advanced Corporate Counsel Institute.
ADMISSIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Bar Admissions: District of Columbia (1983); Virginia (1990); U.S. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia (1990), Federal (1985) and Fourth (1990) Circuits; U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia (1984) and Eastern District of Virginia (1990).
Certifications: Certified mediator (district and circuit court – civil) (No. 1010), Supreme Court of Virginia (re-certified 2008).
MEDIATION and ARBITRATION PANELS and HONORS
Named “Legal Elite” by Virginia Business magazine, 2007-09, featured mediator in 2009.
Better Business Bureau (Washington, DC bureau)
International Mediation Institute, certified mediator
International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR): Technology, Virginia, Trademark, Domain Name Panels
Northern Virginia Mediation Service (NVMS)
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration & Mediation Center
EDUCATION
George Washington University, Washington, DC, JD (1983)
Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, BA, cum laude (1980)
SUMMARY OF ADR TRAINING RECEIVED
Virginia CLE, Fairfax, VA
Advocacy in Mediation (7 hours), April 1997
Center for Dispute Settlement, Washington, DC:
Mediation for the Professional (28.5 hours), December 1997
Advanced Mediation Techniques (20 hours), May 1998
Northern Virginia Mediation Services, Fairfax, VA
Complex & Multi-Party Mediation (7 hours), March 1999
Facilitation and Group Consensus Building (16 hours), October 1999
Mediating EEO& Workplace Disputes (8 hours), March 2000
Applying Theory to Reflective Practice (8 hours), May 2004
Transformative Mediation (20 hours), August 2004
Ethics for Mediators (2 hours), October 2004
Cultural Issues in Mediation (8 hours), July 2008
Mediator Ethics (2 hours), June 2008
Overcoming Impasse (2 hours), February 2009
Virginia Mediation Network
Ethical Dilemmas in Mediation (2 hours), November 1999
CPR/International Trademark Assn., New York, NY
Advanced Trademark Mediation (8 hours), December 2000
Better Business Bureau, Arlington, VA
Arbitration (12 hours), December 2000
SUMMARY OF ADR LECTURES AND TRAININGS GIVEN
Software Publishers Association, Advanced Corporate Counsel Institute, Santa Clara, CA, January 14, 1998, moderator, “Reducing Legal Costs and Exposure via Mediation.”
Computer Law Association, The Internet Computer Chips and Satellites: Computer law in the 21st Century seminar, Phoenix, AZ, February 19-20, 1998, speaker, “Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Viable Alternative to Litigation in Computer-Related Disputes.”
Practicising Law Institute, Advanced Seminar on Licensing Agreements, March 9-10, 1998, New York, NY, speaker, “Negotiating and Drafting for Successful Dispute Resolution.”
Conflict Resolution Center International, ADR Business Symposium: Resolution Without Rancor, Pittsburgh, PA, November 17, 1998, luncheon speaker, “Mediation in Intellectual Property and Employee-Trade Secret Disputes.”
General Electric Company, Y2K EDR Conference, Fairfield, CT, January 14, 1999, speaker, “Mediation of Tech Disputes.”
Technology Mediation Services, et al, Mediating Year 2000 Disputes, Reston, VA, March 25, 1999, co-sponsor and chair.
Fulcrum Information Services Inc., The Year 2000 Corporate Counsel Institute, New Orleans, LA, April 21-22, 1999, co-chair; speaker, “What is ADR and Will It Work?”
Practising Law Institute, Understanding Preventing & Litigating Year 2000 Issues, speaker, “Y2K and ADR,” San Fransisco, CA, April 15-16, 1999; Chicago, IL, May 10-11, 1999; New York, NY, September 8-9, 1999; Atlanta, GA, September 30-October 1, 1999.
Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution, DC Chapter Spring Conference, Washington, DC, May 20, 1999, panelist, “Mediating Year 2000 Disputes.”
University of Florida Levin College of Law, Corporate Dispute Management in the New Millenium: A Look to the Future, Gainesville, FL, September 17, 1999, speaker, “Mediating Y2K Disputes.”
Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution, SPIDR Annual International Conference, Baltimore, MD, September 23-25, 1999, speaker, “Mediating Year 2000 Disputes.”
Virginia Mediation Network, Fall Symposium, Newport News, VA, November 15, 1999, speaker, “Mediating High Tech and Year 2000 Disputes.”
International Trademark Association, Mid-Year Meeting, Miami, FL, November 20, 1999, panelist, “Mediating Trademark Disputes.”
Bickerman Dispute Resolution Group, PLLC, Washington, DC, November 30, 1999, “Mediating Year 2000 Disputes.”
Federal Trade Commission/US Department of Commerce, Washington, DC, June 6-7, 2000, panelist, “ADR for Consumer Transactions in the Borderless Online Marketplace.”
Albany Science & Technology Law Center, Troy, NY, September 20, 2000, speaker, “Human Resources and Alternative Dispute Resolution.”
International Trademark Association, Mid-Year Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, November 18, 2000, speaker, “ICANN UDRP: One Year Later.”
Association of the Bar of the City of New York, New York, NY, December 6, 2000, panelist, “Consensual ADR in B2B E-Commerce.”
CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution, Mid-Winter Meeting, New York, NY, January 26, 2001, panelist, “Online Dispute Resolution.”
International Trademark Association, Basics of Trademark Litigation Forum, Washington, DC, February 9, 2001, panelist, “Alternative Dispute Resolution and Settlement.”
American Bar Association, Section of Dispute Resolution, Third Annual Conference, April 26-28, 2001, Washington, DC, panelist, “Online Dispute Resolution: Complement for Commercial Courts in the International Arena?”
Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution, 13th Annual Conference, June 28-29, 2001, Washington, DC, panelist, “ADR and E-Commerce.”
insight, 8th Annual Negotiating and Drafting IP Licensing Agreements: Strategically Manage the Value of Your Intellectual Property Assets,” Washington, DC, September 20-21, 2001, speaker, “Strategies for When the License Agreement Fails.”
American Bar Association, Section of Dispute Resolution, 4th Annual Conference, New Vistas in Dispute Resolution, Seattle, WA, April 4-6, 2002, speaker, “On-Line vs. Off-Line? An Interactive Study of One Hypothetical Case Mediated Both Ways.”
District of Columbia Bar, Washington, DC, September 19, 2002, panelist, “Domain Name Disputes.”
State Bar of Texas, Texas Bar CLE, online class, September 20, 2002, panelist, “The E-thics of Online Dispute Resolution: ADR Goes High-Tech.”
US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Washington, DC, April 22, 2003, panelist, “Dispute Resolution/Enhanced Negotiation Seminar.”
International Trademark Association, 125th Annual Meeting, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 4-7, 2003, panel chair, “Resolving Trademark Disputes Through Mediation.”
International Trademark Association, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 8-9, 2003, trainer, “Mediation Training for the INTA-CPR Panel of Neutrals.”
International Trademark Association, Atlanta, GA, May 1, 2004, lead trainer, “Mediation CLE for the INTA-CPR Panel of Neutrals.”
International Trade Commission Trial Lawyers Association, Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, November 4, 2004, panelist, “Alternative Dispute Resolution for Intellectual Property Cases.”
International Trademark Association, Leadership Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, November 13, 2004, panelist, “Effective Representation of a Party in Mediation and Advanced Negotiation Techniques.”
International Trademark Association, San Diego, CA, May 14, 2005, lead trainer, “Mediation CLE for the INTA Panel of Neutrals.”
US Patent and Trademark Office, Academy on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights, Alexandria, VA, September 14, 2005, “ADR and its Role in Intellectual Property.”
Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), DC Chapter, Arlington, VA, October 18, 2005, The Role of Technology in Dispute Resolution, “Practicing Dispute Resolution in the Technology Industry.”
International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), New York, NY, January 20, 2006, 2006 Annual Meeting, Panelist, “Avoiding and Resolving Information Technology Disputes.”
International Trademark Association (INTA) and South American Intellectual Property Association (ASIPI), Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 10, 2007, Lead trainer, Advanced Mediation Training.
US Department of State, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 2007, mediation trainer for Brazilian state judges and local bar associations.
International Trademark Association, Chicago, IL, May 2007, lead trainer, Advanced Mediation training.
International Trademark Association, Berlin, Germany, May 2008, lead trainer, Advanced Mediation training.
International Trademark Association, Seattle, WA, May 2009, lead trainer, Advanced Mediation training.
Various corporate and law firm in-house legal education programs