Hon. Christi L. Underwood

2018 – present: Underwood Arbitration; providing arbitration services in commercial and construction cases; accepts appointments as panel chair

2013-2018:  Florida Circuit Court Judge; served in felony and civil divisions

2002-2013: Christi L. Underwood PA, commercial and construction arbitrator; construction lawyer

1992-2002:  Foley & Lardner, associate attorney then partner in 1996; while at Foley was a construction litigator representing contractors, sureties, subcontractors, engineers, and owners; for six years represented an international airport’s construction department in large capital expansion programs (cumulatively over 1.5 billion US dollars).  In 2002, started own firm to concentrate in area of construction and commercial arbitration.

1989-1992:  Maguire, Voorhis & Wells, associate attorney (now merged with Holland & Knight); construction litigator representing contractors, sureties, subcontractors primarily involving commercial, industrial, and government building disputes.

1974-1988:  Partner in commercial general contracting and subcontracting firms before graduating law school; obtained  (and still hold) a Florida Certified General Contractor’s license; representative projects:  commercial buildings, educational facilities, structural exteriors and interiors of hospitals, courthouses, and a historical hotel renovation.

Formerly:  Member, American Arbitration Association’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee;  Member, College of Commercial Arbitrator’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee; Co-chair, ACCL’s Dispute Resolution Committee and member of the Nominating Committee.

Have served as sole arbitrator, panel chair or member of numerous construction and commercial arbitration cases.  Representative cases:  multi-use development projects; manufacturing plants; highways and bridges; domestic and international dredging projects; underground utilities/foundation disputes; EPC contracts; energy projects; federal government projects; commercial leases; business dissolutions.

Previously served as an arbitrator educator for the ABA’s Arbitration Institute; the American Arbitration Association, the College of Commercial Arbitrators; faculty member for the Florida Bar Construction Institute, International Centre for Dispute Resolution; and the ACCL and College of Commercial Arbitrator’s annual meetings.

Professional Affiliations

Formerly active member of the ABA Committee on Dispute Resolution,ABA Forum Committee on the Construction Industry,ABA Section of Public Contract Law,American Arbitration Association Board of Directors, American Arbitration Association National Construction Dispute Resolution Committee

Currently on roster of the American Arbitration Association and ICDR’s Panel of Arbitrators for Commercial and Large Complex Construction cases

“Time and Cost Solutions for Commercial Arbitration,” Dispute Resolution Journal, vol. 66, no.1, February-April 2011, Co-author

“Arbitration vs. Litigation:  You Control the Process v. Process Controls You,” Dispute Resolution Journal, vol. 64, no. 4, November 2009-January 2010, Co-author

“Construction Arbitration:  The Deliberation Process and Practice Tips for Advocates,” The Florida Bar Journal, vol 80, no. 3, March 2006, Author

“Post-Award Matters,” Chapter 11, COLLEGE OF COMMERCIAL ARBITRATORS GUIDE TO BEST PRACTICES IN COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION, JurisNet, LLC, 2nd ed., Co-author

“Rights and Liabilities of Construction Managers,” chapter 4, FLORIDA CONSTRUCTION LAW AND PRACTICE MANUAL, Florida Bar, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th eds., Co-author

Author of numerous seminar and teaching materials

Florida (1989); District of Columbia (1991); New York (2004); U.S. District Court MIddle District Florida (1990); U.S. Court of Appeals Eleventh Circuit (1993); U.S. Supreme Court (2006)

formerly:  Florida Bar’s Construction Law Institute Planning Committee; member, City of Winter Park’s Historical Preservation Board; Booster, University of Central Florida Knights Football; proud parent of a U.S. Navy JAGC lawyer