Giulio Zanolla, Esq.

Civil & Commercial
Mediator

  • Over fifteen years of experience successfully mediating complex civil and commercial disputes with aggregate value of billions of Dollars, across a wide range of industries and jurisdictions, including domestic and international matters.
  • Has mediated and co-mediated hundreds of high-stakes disputes involving sophisticated legal and business issues including contract interpretation and enforcement disputes, complex insurance coverage including issues relating to multiple insurers and towers of insurance and reinsurance, shareholder actions, Directors and Officers’ liability, bankruptcy-related litigation, antitrust cases, intellectual property enforcement, professional liability, employment disputes, construction litigation, admiralty disputes, product liability and tort actions. He has mediated disputes involving privately held companies as well as Fortune 100 corporations, multinational conglomerates and financial institutions across a wide range of industries and markets.
  • Mr. Zanolla has honed his mediation skills by working extensively alongside some of the world’s preeminent commercial mediators, including co-mediating dozens of highly complex and high-stake matters with Hon. Daniel Weinstein (ret.) of JAMS and Antonio Piazza, Esq. of Mediated Negotiations.
  • In addition to his mediation work, Mr. Zanolla has taught and mentored law student-mediators as an Adjunct Professor in the mediation clinic programs at Brooklyn Law School and CUNY Law School, and as guest lecturer at Cardozo School of Law and other prestigious academic institutions. He has provided mediation and negotiation training for lawyers, business leaders and insurance professionals across the US and globally and frequently speaks at national and international conferences on mediation and ADR topics.
  • Mr. Zanolla is available to conduct mediations in-person worldwide as well as virtually via secure video-conferencing platforms.

Resolute Systems administers Mr. Zanolla’s mediations and arbitrations. To schedule a mediation or arbitration, please contact Michael Weinzierl at (800) 776-6060 ext. 125 or [email protected].

Process

What You Can Expect

Giulio Zanolla believes in the flexible nature of the mediation process. He focuses meticulously on process design and management.

He Strives To:

Facilitate Communication  |  Develop Understanding  |  Provide Feedback

Challenge Assumptions | Advise on Process Tools and Negotiation Strategies

Uncover Options for Resolution | Deliver Closure

Methodology

Rigorous Preparation

Preparation activity is designed to identify the core issues and uncover the obstacles to resolution. The goal is to facilitate a coordinated and efficient exchange of information among the parties. Joint and separate calls/video conferences with the parties’ representatives are routinely held before the substantive session. Particular attention is given to the parties’ expectations from the process. A thorough analysis of all elements relevant to the parties in connection with their case, including factual, legal, technical as well as the business concerns, allows for the key questions to emerge before the settlement discussions formally begin.

Emphasis On Listening

A mediator’s own belief of what a settlement should look like may impede a thorough exploration of what a settlement could look like. By focusing on listening openly, actively and maintaining a curious approach about the parties’ own perspectives, we can better hear the signals and understand the nuances of each side’s inclination towards settlement.

Maintaining A Flexible Process

Each case involves specific circumstances that shape the parties’ perspective about resolution. The mediation process should adapt to the needs of the specific case and the parties involved. A flexible process allows us to think creatively about strategy and to modulate the action swiftly based on the information emerging throughout the discussion. Whether that may involve a change in the way negotiations are conducted, creating opportunities for issue-focused meetings among lawyers, experts and principals, or introducing techniques and process options to overcome impasse, the goal is to constantly be ready to adjust the course to match the parties’ needs along the way to resolution.

Staying With The Process For As Long As It Takes

In some cases, it becomes necessary to press forward to keep the momentum alive past normal working hours in order to reach closure. In others, it is more productive to shepherd a case to resolution through follow-up work after the mediation session. Either way, the goal is to be proactive in discussing the options available and map a clear course forward keeping all stakeholders engaged. Recognizing that often “the devil is in the details”, our approach is relentless to keep assisting the parties through final resolution, no matter how long it takes.

Representative Matters

  • Mediated multiple contractual disputes concerning domestic and cross-border commercial transactions including allegations of breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, breach of warranty and fraud. Cases have involved governing law and jurisdictional issues in connection to common law and civil law jurisdictions.
  • Mediated and co-mediated numerous shareholder disputes and securities class actions including the underlying litigation brought against the corporate Directors and Officers as well as the insurance coverage issues arising from allocation of covered and non-covered losses, multiple insurers, towers of insurance, exhaustion etc.
  • Mediated and co-mediated dozens of insurance coverage matters in connection with first-party and third-party claims involving D&O liability coverage, EPL, E&O, R&W, CGL and other commercial insurance policies.
  • Mediated dozens of labor and employment matters, including age, race, and gender discrimination actions, harassment claims, wrongful termination, noncompete and restrictive covenants, as well as wage and hour litigation (FISA, NYLL) brought as individual, collective and class actions.

Testimonials

“I have mediated a number of cases with Giulio and find him to be highly effective. He is determined to give mediation every chance to succeed. He patiently listens to all parties and counsel and encourages everyone to fully dedicate themselves to the mediation process. He is highly effective and has become one of the go-to mediators for our practice.”

“Giulio is one of the best mediators currently practicing in the employment world.  Giulio exhibits a true expertise of the law, a dedication to the mediation process, and has an excellent ability to connect with the parties.  Every case I have mediated with Giulio has settled at the mediation or shortly thereafter with Giulio’s assistance.  I strongly recommend Giulio to anybody looking for a mediator in an employment matter.”

“Mr. Giulio Zanolla has conducted numerous mediations with our law firm. At each mediation, Mr. Zanolla has displayed an ability to develop a rapport with the parties, he has a methodical approach to addressing key issues in each lawsuit, and an ability to be persistent and employ a variety of techniques to reach resolutions even in complicated and hotly-contentious lawsuits.  It is these techniques that allow him to successfully work with both plaintiffs and defendants to consistently reach settlements.”

“Mr. Zanolla is an extremely practical mediator who melds common sense and legal concepts in order to achieve common ground between the parties. He is efficient, well-prepared, patient and intelligent. It was a pleasure working with Mr. Zanolla.”