Thomas F. Margiotti

Law Offices of Thomas F. Margiotti

Mediator & Arbitrator
123 South 22nd Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

844-237-6699

Business, Commercial, Construction, Contract, Employment, Foreclosure, Hospitality, Insurance, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Real Estate, Workplace

Mr. Margiotti is an experienced Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practitioner and is a private and court qualified arbitrator and mediator.  An attorney for over 26 years with diverse background and experience, he represents business owners, management, employees and private individuals as a transactional attorney, and in litigation, mediation and arbitration within the following practice areas:

-          Commercial / Contracts

-          Employment / Workplace

-          Real Estate

-          Personal injury

-          Premises Liability

-          International Law

-          Franchise Law

-          Construction

-          Elder

Many of the matters he handles are in the areas of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality.

Mr. Margiotti has consulted internationally regarding:

-          International Commercial Arbitration Laws

-          Court Connected Alternative Dispute Resolution Programs

-          Online Dispute Resolution

He is a frequent speaker and legal education/ADR instructor both internationally and domestically, as well as publishing several articles on ADR.

Currently he is also an Adjunct Professor at Philadelphia University and he recently served as Interim Executive Director for the Montgomery Conflict Mediation Center after serving on the organizations Board of Directors. 

Mr. Margiotti served as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia for over 12 years where his assignments included Major Trials and the Homicide Unit.

Mr. Margiotti is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the New Jersey Bar Association and is admitted into U.S. Federal Court for both the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  He received his Juris Doctorate from The Delaware Law School of Widener University and undergraduate degree from Villanova University. 

Mediation Training

Essential Skills, American Arbitration Association; (AAA)     

Basic, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education; (NJICLE)

Cross Border Mediation, International Mediation Alliance

Dealing With Difficult People, Montgomery Conflict Mediation Center; (MCMC)

The Strategic Mediator, Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI)

Mediation Ethics, MCMC

Mediating High Profile Cases, Association for Conflict Resolution; (ACR)

Lessons Learned from Labor and Employment Mediation and their application to the broader ADR fields and vice versa; ACR

Mediation & Settlement Techniques of a Business Dispute; NJICLE

Multi-Party Mediations; AAA

Stories Mediators Tell            ; AAA

What Every Mediator Needs to Understand About Attorneys and Effective

Advocacy in Mediation, Creighton University Werner Institute; CUWI

Mediation Preparation, Philadelphia Bar Association          

Mediation’s Global Growth, AAA 

Arbitration Courses

International Arbitration; PBI

Resolving International Trade Disputes; PBI

Compulsory Arbitration; PBI

Arbitration Ethics, ALM

Managing a Successful Arbitration, the College of Commercial Arbitrators

Efficient, Effective and Affordable Commercial ADR; ACR

Arbitrating the Difficult Discharge Case; AAA

Don’t Strike Back-Retaliation Claims; AAA

Basic Arbitration Training; NJICLE

Binding Arbitration under the N.J. Uniform Arbitration Act; NJICLE

Dealing with the Pro Se Party in Mediation and Arbitration; AAA

Resolving Construction Disputes-The New Alternatives; NJICLE

Online Dispute Resolution

Online Intensive Workshop; ACR

Cyber-Ethics: The Impact of Technology on Mediator Ethics; ACR

Online Dispute Resolution as the New Normal; ACR

Trust in Online Mediation; CUWI

Online Mediation- A New Frontier, Pennsylvania Council of Mediators

ODR2015, Law School of Pace University; New York

Certificates

Negotiation-Creighton University School of Law, 2014

Safety in Mediation-Association for Conflict Resolution, 2014

Bar Admissions

Pennsylvania Supreme Court; 1987

New Jersey Supreme Court; 1987     

United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; 1987

United States District Court for New Jersey; 1987

Professional Memberships

Association for International Arbitration

Association for Conflict Resolution-Greater Philadelphia Chapter

New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators

New Jersey Bar Association; Alternative Dispute Resolution Section

Pennsylvania Council of Mediators

Global Alliance of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Attorneys

International Forum of Travel and Tourism Advocates (IFTTA)

Philadelphia Bar Association; Business Section, International Law Committee

Education

Delaware Law School of Widener University, JD; May 1987

-          Honor Grades: Evidence, Contracts, Commercial Transactions, Property,

-          Class Rank: Top 17%

          Villanova University, BA, Communications; May 1982

-          Dean's List

Career Overview

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Expert;

Consult regarding international commercial arbitration law; design dispute resolution systems for court connected and private institutions.

Mediator, 2013-Present;

New Jersey Superior Court, Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, Suburban West Realtors Association and Private.  Successfully mediated over 80% of cases assigned in areas such as:

-          Commercial

-          Employment/Workplace

-          Real Estate

-          Contracts 

Arbitrator, 2002-Present;

Philadelphia Courts of Common Pleas and New Jersey Superior Court.  Served as an arbitrator for approximately 200 cases mostly in the areas of:

-          Tort, Personal injury, Premises Liability and accidents

-          Contracts

-          Property damage

Adjunct Professor, January 2014 to Present; Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA.

Private law practice, 2000 to present;

Represent business clients and private individuals in litigation, mediation and arbitration in a variety of areas including:

-          Commercial

-          Employment/Workplace

-          Personal Injury

-          Premises Liability

Represents clients in transactional matters including:

-          Real Estate

-          Contracts and Commercial matters 

Chair, 2013 to Present;

Dispute Resolution/Enforcement Section of International Forum of Travel and Tourism Advocates (IFTTA) for contribution to the United Nations World Tourism Organization project: The Enforcement of Legal Protection of Tourists and Providers of Tourism Services.

Executive Director and Board Member, Montgomery Conflict Mediation Center, Norristown, PA

-          Executive Director (Interim), October 2013 to December 2014

-          Member of Board of Directors, January 2012 to September 2013;

Of Counsel Attorney, Messa and Associates P.C. Philadelphia, PA, 2007 – Present;

 

Assistant District Attorney, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office;

Assignments included: Major Trials and Homicide Units.  

Publications

“Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Passenger Contract”, Cruise Tourism & Innovation: Improving Passengers' Experiences and Safety,  Alexis Papathanassis, Michael H Breitner and , Ate de Groot, Editors, Published by Logos Verlag, Berlin, Germany June 9, 2014.

“Developing Alternative Dispute Resolution for Armenia” 69 pages including more than 27 recommendations, time-line and roadmap for implementation. USAID & EDMC November 15, 2013

“The International Forum of Travel and Tourism Advocates (IFTTA) response to the European Commission's Consultation Paper on the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as a means to Resolve Disputes Related to Commercial Transactions and Practices in the European Union” which was presented at IFTTA's 5th European conference in Rostock, Germany March, 2011.

Presentations

The National Courts, ADR and the Hague Conference on Private International Law, IFTTA's 8th European Conference, Tucepi, Croatia, May 2015.

Developments in Online Dispute Resolution IFTTA North America, Ft. Lauderdale FL, March, 2015

Designing Fair, Effective and Efficient Dispute Resolution Systems for the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industries IFTTA North America, Ft. Lauderdale FL, February, 2014 and 25th World Conference Dublin, Ireland, October 2014

Legal Lessons from the Costa Concordia, 5th International Cruise Conference, Cruise Research Society, Bremerhaven, Germany, March 2014.


The Pros and Cons of Online Line Dispute Resolution IFTTA 24th World Conference Prague, Czech Republic October, 2013.

What Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Executives need to know about Alternative Dispute Resolution.  IFTTA 6th European Conference Yerevan, Armenia April, 2013

Alternative Dispute Resolution for Vessel Owners and Operators, PVA, Jacksonville, FL February, 2013

Alternative Dispute Resolution for the Travel and Tourism Industries, IFTTA North America, Ft. Lauderdale FL, February, 2013

Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Passenger Contract, Cruise Research Society, 4th International Cruise Conference, Leeuwarden, Netherlands, May 2012

“The International Forum of Travel and Tourism Advocates (IFTTA) response to the European Commission's Consultation Paper on the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as a means to Resolve Disputes Related to Commercial Transactions and Practices in the European Union” IFTTA's 5th European conference in Rostock, Germany March, 2012.

The ABCs of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution), Passenger Vessel Association (PVA), Portland, OR January, 2012

Continuing Legal Education instructor for: Florida Bar Association and Pennsylvania Bar Association sanctioned programs presented by International Forum of Travel and Tourism Advocates, Montgomery Conflict Mediation Center, The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

By Appointment Only
123 South 22nd Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

P: 844-846-9237
F: 215-568-3501
E: [email protected]