Penny W. Schmidt received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and graduated with Honors from St. Thomas College of Law. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1992 and is a Florida Supreme Court qualified Arbitrator. She has also served as a Special Master and an Umpire.
Prior to becoming a full-time mediator, she was a full-time civil litigator for thirty years. She began her legal career in Fort Myers where she worked as an Associate Attorney with the law firm of Fuller & Minor, P.A., later becoming a partner in the law firm of Minor & Schmidt, P.A. In 1997, she and her husband relocated to the Jacksonville area where she continued her legal career and was a long-time partner in the law firm of Schutt, Schmidt & Noey.
Penny has been a Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated partner since 1997. She is a member of the Florida Bar and the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. She is a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association and the Jacksonville Women’s Lawyer’s Association. She is the current Vice-Chair, and former Chairperson, of the Alternative Dispute Resolution section of the Jacksonville Bar Association as well as a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution section of the Florida Bar.
Penny is also a member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, Florida Academy of Professional Mediators and the Florida Circuit-Civil Mediators Society. She is a Volunteer Mediator and Arbitrator for the Florida Bar Grievance Mediation and Fee Arbitration Program.
In addition, Penny served as an adjunct professor for over a decade at Florida Coastal School of Law, where she taught, among other things, Alternative Dispute Resolution to future lawyers. She has lectured to various professional organizations on a variety of mediation-related topics, such as “Getting More out of Mediation than Just a Settlement” and “A Paralegals Guide to Help Prepare Your Attorney for Mediation/Arbitration.”
Her civil litigation experience has been in the areas of Personal Injury/Wrongful Death, Trucking Litigation, Insurance Coverage Disputes, Complex Commercial and Construction Defect Litigation, Contract/Business Litigation and Appellate law.
Commitment to positive mediation and arbitration outcomes forms the cornerstone of her professional practice. Personal attention to detail ensures the participants’ respect and successful problem resolution. As a mediator, she describes her style as “firm and direct, but engaged and creative.”
Education
- University of Florida, B.A.
- St. Thomas College of Law, J.D., 1992
Memberships
- Florida Bar
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
- Jacksonville Bar Association
- Florida Bar Trial Lawyers Section
Associations
- Jacksonville Women’s Lawyer’s Association
- National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
- Florida Academy of Professional Mediators
- Florida Circuit-Civil Mediators Society
Practice Areas
- Personal injury
- Wrongful death
- Insurance coverage issues
- Nursing Home
- Product Liability
- Business/Contract
- Foreclosure
- Bankruptcy
- General civil trial litigation
- Construction defect litigation
Areas of Certification
- Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator
- Certified Mediator for the Middle District of Florida