Houston Mediator Peter Taaffe

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Key points:

• Availability:  Many mediators are booked up months in advance.  I am 100 percent devoted to mediations.  I am not handling any cases as a lawyer.  I am not sitting as a judge.  I am not doing any work as an arbitrator.  Thus, my calendar is flexible - and you don't have to wait weeks or months to schedule your mediation.

• Experience:  Before opening the firm, I practiced litigation for 24 years and handled every type of civil litigation matter, at large, medium and boutique  firms, representing  plaintiffs and defendants .  I served as a law clerk to a federal judge and also served six years on the University of Houston System Board of Regents.

• Independence:  I have no financial arrangements or relationships with any law firms.

• Flat fee:  Most mediators will charge additional fees if a mediation goes long or for follow up mediations.  I do not.  I will continue working with the parties after the mediation for no charge.  I routinely conduct follow up mediations at no charge.  Also, I know first-hand that things can come up that may result in the need to cancel a mediation. Which is why I do not charge cancelation fees.

Biography:

Peter Taaffe was raised in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Lamar High School and the University of Texas.  He worked for one year as an aide to Congressman Sam Johnson in Washington, DC, and then entered law school at the University of Houston Law Center.   

After graduating from law school with honors, he worked as the Senior Law Clerk to legendary U.S. District Court Judge Joe J. Fisher in Beaumont.  From there, he worked at national and local firms in Houston and Austin.   From 2006 to 2021, Peter handled a mix of personal injury and commercial litigation at a boutique litigation firm in Houston.  

Over his career, Peter has handled cases covering all types of civil litigation and arbitration matters, ranging from commercial disputes, intellectual property matters, Jones Act/maritime claims, industrial and oilfield accidents, dram shop claims, auto accidents, and sexual assault claims.  He also has extensive experience handling and resolving mass tort actions. 

He has been recognized by the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program and Travis County (Austin) Volunteer Legal Services for his pro bono legal work for indigent clients.    He attended mediation training at the University of Houston, in 2013. Over the course of career, he has resolved thousands of cases through the mediation process.

Thomson Reuters named Peter to the Texas Super Lawyers list, in personal injury litigation and business litigation, from 2016 to 2021, and for Alternative Dispute Resolution in 2022.

Peter recently concluded a six-year term as a member of the Board of Regents for the University of Houston System.  Appointed by Governor Rick Perry in 2013, re-appointed by Governor Greg Abbott, and confirmed by the Texas Senate, Peter completed his term as the Vice-Chairman of the Board.    Peter also served as Chairman of the Board's Audit Committee and also served on the Finance and Administration and Academic and Student Success Committees.  

Peter is a former director of the University of Houston Law Alumni Association and of the advisory board of the Center for U.S. and Mexican Law at the University of Houston Law Center.  Peter served as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center in 2012. 

Peter has assisted in debate preparation for candidates for President and the U.S. Senate.  

Peter is licensed by the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.

Peter and his wife Diane Johnson Taaffe are the parents of four children.

Education:

B.A., 1993, University of Texas at Austin

J.D., with honors, 1997, University of Houston Law Center

Prior Employment:

United States District Judge Joe J. Fisher,

Gardere, Wynne, Sewell & Riggs

Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison

Keith & Weber

Dubois, Bryant & Campbell

The Buzbee Law Firm

Areas of Practice: 

I have handled and will mediate cases involving the following subject matters: 

Commercial Vehicle and Auto Accidents

Workplace Accidents

Industrial Accidents

Jones Act/Maritime injuries and death

Breach of Contract

Probate Disputes

Dram Shop Claims

Sexual Assault Claims

Insurance Coverage

Premises Liability Claims

Employment Claims

Medical Malpractice

Professional Liability

Construction and Real Estate Disputes

Toxic tort - Chemical Exposure Claims

Mass Tort Actions

Intellectual Property Disputes