Robert M. Edwards, Jr. is an experienced full-time civil mediator in South Bend, Indiana. He has mediated more than 1,500 civil cases and 100’s of workers compensation cases over the last 25 years . Bob attributes his success as a mediator to practicing with integrity and professionalism. He explains, “I relate well to individuals, I make sure everyone is heard, and I work tirelessly with all the parties to achieve the goal of successfully resolving the dispute at hand.” Throughout his 43 year career he has developed long standing relationships with fellow attorneys. Those relationships help him to achieve settlements through the collaborative efforts of everyone involved. He is one of only two local full-time mediators with real world litigation experiences investigating, evaluating, and resolving civil cases.
“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity” – Albert Einstein.
During life we will encounter the difficulties of disputes, mediation provides an opportunity to solve them outside of court. The mediation process saves litigants thousands of dollars of litigation costs, untold emotional costs, and provides an efficient and effective method for resolution.
He is a South Bend native. He attended Western Michigan University, where he played football for the Broncos and graduated with honors. He attended Notre Dame Law School (a third generation Notre Dame graduate) and was admitted to the bar in Indiana in 1976. He was a partner at Jones Obenchain, LLP from 1982 through 2015. In 2016 he left the firm and started EdwardsADR, P.C. to focus his practice exclusively on mediation and arbitration.
Bob has been recognized as one of the top lawyers in Indiana and the country. Since 2008, Bob has been included in the Indiana Business Magazines listing of Indiana’s Top Lawyers and was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of mediation. He has also been recognized by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory with its highest rating of AV. He is rated Superb by AVVO and in 2015 was honored as one of the the Top One Percent of attorneys in the nation.
“Get busy living, or get busy dying” (from Shawshank Redemption) is Bob’s favorite quote and he tries to live his life by this truism. He believes that life should be lived to the fullest, enjoyed, and appreciated. When not mediating Bob takes pleasure in traveling, downhill skiing, scuba diving, fishing, kayaking, and spending time with Janene, his wife of 45 years, his 3 sons, and grandchildren.
