JONATHAN D. CONANT
CURRICULUM VITEA
JONATHAN CONANT, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended the Ohio State University, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1982. Upon graduation he worked as an engineer in the Greater Cleveland, Ohio area on commercial construction projects ranging from small retail/commercial remodeling projects to multi-million dollar mid-rise and industrial commercial projects. He continued working as an Engineer while attending law school at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor in 1987. Shortly thereafter, Jonathan relocated to South Florida.
Mr. Conant is licensed to practice law in the States of Arizona, Florida and Ohio, although currently he is of inactive status in the State of Ohio. He is additionally licensed to practice in the Federal Courts of the Middle District of the State of Florida. He is a Certified Federal Court mediator, a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit, Family and County Court Mediator, as well as being a Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator.
Jonathan litigated in various arenas for approximately ten years before devoting the majority of his time to mediation and has sincemediated well in excess of five thousand mediations throughout the States of Florida and Arizona. He has presided as a mediator in many aspects of litigation including but not limited to contract disputes, construction litigation matters (defects and deficiencies in design and construction), real estate (development, foreclosure and contract actions), family law, nursing home negligence, personal injury, ERISA/FMLA and workers’ compensation matters. During the course of mediating Workers’ Compensation cases, Jonathan necessarily became exposed to Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set Aside allocations (WCMSA’s) and became certified by the International Commission on Health Care Certification as a Medicare Set Aside Consultant (MSCC).
Jonathan established the Conant Mediation Center in 1997, the first independent private mediation center based in Fort Myers, Florida. More recently, he has transformed the Conant Mediation Center into a Florida Not-For-Profit Corporation for the purpose of acting as the Program Manager for Florida’s Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program (RMFMP) in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit (Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties of Florida).Not only is Mr. Conant trained in Foreclosure Mediations, he currently oversees the operations of the Conant Mediation Center as its President.
Under the RMFMP, the Conant Mediation Center assists Borrowers in obtaining HUD Certified Foreclosure Counseling, assists the parties in exchanging documents related to the Mortgage and/or Note in default and schedules a mediation with a Mediator specifically trained in Foreclosure Mediations. The program is designed to aid parties in resolving foreclosure actions by applying the United States Departments of the Treasury and Housing and Urban Development’s Homes Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), Homes Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA) and Homes Affordable Refinance Program (HARP).
In addition to his active mediation practice and administering the “RMFM Program”, Mr. Conant often lectures on the art and practice of mediation to both professionals and the public at large. Jonathan assists in teaching and certifying others to become Certified Mediators and is certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a Family and Circuit Court MediationAssistant Trainer.He also contributes articles to legal publications with articles centered on Mediation.
Mr. Conant has garnered the respect of attorneys representing both sides to litigation, as well as the commercial interests involved such as Insurance Companies, Periodic Payment Specialists, Servicing Agents and Financial Institutions.
EDUCATION:
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Degree Conferred: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, 1982.
Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University.
Degree Conferred: Juris Doctor, 1987
LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS and SPECIFIC TRAINING:
Attorney and Counselor at Law:
State of Arizona (by examination)
State of Florida (by examination)
State of Ohio (by examination)
United States District Court,
Middle District of Florida
United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
Certified Mediator
Florida Certified and Court-Appointed Mediator:
Certified Family Mediator, Registration No. 09267F
Certified Circuit Court Mediator, Registration No. 09267R
Certified County Court Mediator, Registration No. 09267C
Qualified Florida Arbitrator
Medicare Set Aside Consultant – Certified (MSCC)
International Commission on Health Care Certification No. 0578
Trained Mortgage Foreclosure Mediator under HAMP, HAFA and HARP
RECENT LECTURES AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
March 25, 2011 – Fort Myers, Florida; Citizens for a Better Fort Myers Government Educational Panel, Judicial Symposium. Topic: Foreclosure Court in the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida.
March 24, 2011- Orlando, Florida; U.S. F. N. Loan Management & Servicing Seminar. Topic: Mediation of Foreclosure Actions
December 14, 2010 – Fort Myers, Florida Fox 4 News television interview; Alternative to Foreclosure
March 4, 2010 – Phoenix, Arizona; American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice, Workers’ Compensation and Labor and Employment Law sections’ National Trends and Emerging Issues in Workers’ Compensation Seminar. Topic: Mediation Strategies and Negotiating Tactics
August 22, 2009 – Orlando, Florida; Florida Supreme Court Dispute Resolution Center’s 18th Annual Conference. Topic: Workers’ Compensation Mediations
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
American Bar Association
Arizona Bar Association
Maricopa County Bar Association
Yavapai County Bar Association
Florida Bar Association
Lee County Bar Association
Ohio State Bar Association
Association for Conflict Resolution
FloridaAcademy of Professional Mediators
Former Member, Board of Governors, Florida Bar Association,
Young Lawyers’ Division
National Association of Distinguished Neutrals
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
2010-Present; The Conant Mediation Center, A Florida N.F.P.; Fort Myers, Florida
President of a Florida Not-For-Profit Corporation providing Program Management over the Residential Foreclosure Mediation Program in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit of Florida (Charlotte, Collier, Hendry, Glades and Lee Counties). Oversees compliance with the Administrative Orders of the Supreme Court of Florida and of the Administrative Offices of the Courts of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit. Responsible for the day to day operations of the company and its employees, consisting of intake workers, outreach workers, schedulers and administrative employees. Responsible for the selection and retention of Mediators throughout the State of Florida for inclusion on the company’s rosters. Maintains communication with Lenders, Servicing Agents, Counsel for Lenders and Servicing Agents and Counsel for Borrowers in distress. Develop and maintain contact with the local business community and media to garner support for the RMFMP. Develop new avenues of work in the ever changing mortgage default environment.
2009-Present; Jonathan D. Conant, Attorney at Law; Prescott, Arizona
Provides mediation and legal services in Arizona. Primary office located in Prescott, Arizona, although routinely travels throughout the state. Areas of practice include representation of Social Security Claimants, providing assistance establishing Wills and Trusts, and providing general Mediation Services at the Justice and Superior Court levels.
2006-Present; The Conant Mediation Center, LLC; Fort Myers, Florida
Managing Member of a Florida Limited Liability Corporation which provides mediation services to the public. Oversees the activities of four members of the Corporation and its employees. Screens and maintains a roster of Mediators available. Provide mediation services.
1997-Present; Jonathan D. Conant, Florida Certified Circuit, Family and County Mediator; Fort Myers, Florida.
Provides mediation services throughout the State of Florida. Mediates various matters and issues including Foreclosures (Commercial and Residential); Workers’ Compensation; Personal Injury; Nursing Home Negligence; ERISA / FMLA; Contracts, and; Construction Disputes.
1987-Present; Jonathan D. Conant, Attorney at Law; Fort Myers, Florida
Provides general legal assistance to the public at large. General Practitioner with an emphasis on Construction and Contract Litigation, Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury Law.
REFERENCES:
Available upon request.