Ana Cristina Maldonado, Esq

Cristina has spent her entire legal career in the field of Dispute Resolution. Over the last nine years, she has mediated over 1,600 cases, working with over 300 attorneys, and many hundreds of self-represented parties. Today, Cristina is one of the mediators at the prestigious mediation firm of Upchurch Watson White & Max and she has established herself as a leader, in Florida, in the process of ODR (Online Dispute Resolution.)  

 

With knowledge of both civil and family matters, Cristina has mediated challenging cases in both arenas, within the courts and the private sectors.  Her mediation philosophy is to meet people where they are – in a difficult moment of their lives – and work with all sides to try to build a better way forward. In addition, Cristina's passion for mediation education has led her to train and mentor more than 100 new mediators.

 

Before becoming a lawyer and mediator, Cristina spent seven years as a Program Manager, administering a $22 million budget, a 15-person team of employees and contractors, two international field offices and field operations across nine countries. She played a key role in strategic planning, procurement, human resources management, contract administration, budget monitoring, and reporting results on multiple contracts and deliverables. The contracts she worked on provided regional technical assistance on labor, employment, and workplace safety policy and capacity building in Central America.

 

Cristina lives in Palm Beach County with her multi-generational, blended family.  She is trilingual, fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese.  

 

Professional Education and Qualifications: 

B.A. ~ Amherst College, magna cum laude (1998), Interdisciplinary Degree in International Development

M.Sc. ~ George Mason University Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (2006), Conflict Resolution

J.D. ~ St. Thomas University School of Law (2010)

• Certified Florida Supreme Court Mediator, Circuit Civil, Family, and Dependency

• Florida Dispute Resolution Center Approved Primary Trainer, Family; Assistant Trainer, Dependency, and Circuit Civil

• Trained in Eldercare Mediation

• Trained in Collaborative Family Law

Membership, Professional and Civic Associations:

• Member, The Florida Bar

  • Member, Family Section

  • Member, ADR Section

• Member, Craig S. Barnard Inns of Court

• Member, Palm Beach Hispanic Bar Association

• Member, League of Women Voters

 

Contact Cristina at 

acmaldonado@uww-adr.com or 561.533.7553