Certainty in an Uncertain Environment
With over 26 years of diverse legal, professional, and personal experience, Jonathan approaches working with parties to legal disputes with a unique lens.
Having personally handled hundreds of mediations and represented parties in disputes involving property claims, personal injury matters, security cases, medical malpractice matters, contract disputes, nonprofits, and many other types of legal claims, Jonathan is experienced at navigating, and supporting parties through conflict resolution.
Jonathan is an approved panel mediator by the Maryland Circuit Court. (Baltimore County, Charles County, Cecil County, Frederick County, Talbot County)
Licensed in: Maryland, The District of Columbia, & United States Supreme Court
About
Lived Experience
Jonathan was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He received his undergraduate degree from John Carroll University where he was a member of the Hall Fame soccer teams from 1991-1993. After graduation, Jonathan worked in sales and marketing for a social expressions company. Jonathan entered law school in 1996 and moved to the Washington, DC Metropolitan area in 1999 after graduating from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. At CWRU, Jonathan served as an Associate and then as a Comments Editor for the CWRU Law Review.
Jonathan’s first position out of law school was as an associate at a large plaintiff’s firm in Washington, DC, Cohen & Cohen. There, he quickly gained responsibility for handling all facets of the litigation process, including representing injured clients during mediation and trial. Jonathan next moved to a medium sized insurance defense firm, Gilberg & Kiernan (Kiernan Trebach). Jonathan next transitioned to a large insurance defense firm, Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz & Decker, where he continued gaining experience in trying cases to verdict, defending clients in state and federal court, and mediating large and complex matters.
In 2004, Jonathan co-founded Taylor, Sylla & Agin, LLP. Jonathan brought his extensive experience and significant client contacts to his own practice where he was able to impart that experience successfully for over 10 years. Jonathan represented clients in matters involving third party safety claims, trucking accidents, arena security matters, construction claims, malpractice claims, employment matters before agencies and in court, insurance coverage claims, contractual matters, and select plaintiff's cases. Jonathan has represented clients such as: McDonalds, Amtrak, Taxi companies, Sports Arenas, Real Estate Development Trusts, Medical Practice Groups/Nursing Homes, Construction Firms, and many other types of matters.
In 2008, Jonathan’s first born, Alexis Agin then 27 months old, was diagnosed with terminal and inoperable brain cancer. Given 9-12 months to live, she fought heroically for 33 months, passing away 2 weeks before her 5th birthday in January 2011. Jonathan’s perspective shifted considerably at this point, leading him to make the difficult decision to give up his role as a founding partner in a growing litigation practice.
Following his departure from his firm, Jonathan has gone on to co-found a nonprofit childhood cancer research biotech, become the executive director of two childhood cancer charities, including the one he still runs today, PREP4Gold, act as general counsel in a multi-company for profit and associated nonprofit organization, form his own consulting and legal practice where he has represented small and medium sized businesses handling their transactional work including intellectual property, contracts and agreements, regulatory navigation, and risk management/mitigation.
Jonathan received mediation training from the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Services
Jonathan provides two main services to help parties actively involved in a dispute. Mediation and Neutral Case Evaluation. Jonathan has over 26 years of handling disputes, helping parties arrange resolutions, providing comprehensive analysis to insurance carriers and individuals, as well as courtroom and trial experience gaining deep insights into the outcome of claims and disputes. Mediation and Neutral Case Evaluation are methods that Jonathan employs to help parties effectively resolve disputes and save significant costs and expenses.
Mediation
Subject Areas:
Personal Injury
Professional Malpractice
Medical Malpractice
Auto Torts
Corporate Disputes
Contracts
Insurance Defense/Insurance Coverage
Nonprofit Governance/Regulatory
Construction
Security/Third-Party Security Claims
Neutral Case Evaluation
Mediation
Mediation should be viewed as an opportunity. It is a confidential and informal process that can and should allow parties to effectively discuss the issues of the dispute and ultimately to come to a resolution. As a trained mediator, with significant experience mediating hundreds of claims and disputes, Jonathan will employ various mechanisms and methods to bring parties together.
Mediation is about communication, and as the mediator, my role is to effectively communicate by listening more and asking questions of the parties when those questions will allow me to guide them towards an acceptable resolution. Mediation is about helping the parties see that a resolution of their dispute through this informal process is cost effective and provides certainty. Mediation provides the parties the chance to share their positions in a risk neutral setting without the possibility of losing everything.
Neutral Case Evaluation
Neutral case evaluation is a tool that allows the party, or parties the chance to gain better insights into their respective positions without having to spend considerable sums of money through the course of litigation. Neutral case evaluation can be used effectively in instances where the parties are aware that their claim is not clear-cut, or there is a need to provide one party with a neutral perspective.
Through this tool, the parties submit a statement to the neutral evaluator, including what they believe the evidence will show, what evidence there is, defenses if any, and any other aspect of the respective claim that can legally impact the outcome of the matter. The third-party neutral then reviews the submissions, and drawing on experience, issues a statement of evaluation to the parties. This statement of evaluation is not a binding decision. Rather, it allows the parties individually to obtain an early assessment of their claim(s) to better help counsel their client and make informed decisions.
Approach, Experience & Perspective
Experience
Perspective
Mediation should be approached without preconceptions. The goal is simple, to bring the parties together for the purpose of trying to resolve the dispute without further cost or uncertainty. I rely upon experience, perspective, and skilled communications in working with parties.
I have gained significant experience through representing plaintiffs and defendants in hundreds of mediations involving small and large issues and disputes. These mediations have involved numerous different industries, professions, causes of action, and allegations of liability and damages. I also have been fortunate to have experience in running and organizing nonprofit organizations, acting as general counsel of a for profit organization, helping small companies and individuals with their business as well as any disputes that may arise.
My diverse experience is critical in providing the foundation to work with parties that come from all backgrounds, industries, and interests. The perspective I bring to every mediation is also forged through personal experiences. This includes losing my sister in a vehicle accident in 2001, and then the loss of my daughter Alexis to childhood cancer in 2011. I understand grief, trauma, and pain, and the ways that it shapes our thoughts and actions. This includes in the context of legal disputes. We all bring our own experiences and backgrounds into a legal dispute, and as a neutral third-party mediator, my personal experiences supply a deep well of perspective.