Areas of Expertise
Dispute Resolution, Negotiations, Insurance Law and Trial Techniques
Courses
Alternative Dispute Resolution, Negotiations, Insurance Law
Biography
Mike Athans was hired by Emory University School of Law in December 2003 as an adjunct professor of law teaching negotiations. The course was expanded a few years later to Alternative Dispute Resolution which includes negotiations, mediation and a brief introduction to arbitration. He has also volunteered as a trial techniques instructor in the Kessler-Edison Program.
Athans retired from the private practice of law in early 2023 after more than 41 years as a trial, litigation and insurance coverage attorney representing insurers and other business clients in commercial and transportation lawsuits.
He has judged mock trials through NITA-sponsored programs and the Frederick Douglas Moot Court Program. He also gives in-house negotiation-skills training classes.
Athans is a certified mediator in Georgia who brings experience as both a trial attorney and negotiations instructor to the dispute resolution process. In 1982, he served as a law clerk to Judge Bailey Brown on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Education: JD, University at Buffalo Law School; BA, State University of New York at Buffalo (cum laude)