A lifelong resident of Lee County, Berk Edwards has spent over 24 years representing a wide range of clientele from large corporations to small businesses and individuals in the areas of commercial and business litigation, with an emphasis in construction, business tort, contract, real property, landlord-tenant, employee restrictive covenant and business partnership/shareholder disputes, as well as a litany of other litigation cases.
Berk is a graduate of Fort Myers High School and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida. He attended Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law School and graduated Magna Cum Laude in the top 15 of his class in 1994.
He is a former President of the Southwest Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, a current member of The Florida Bar and Lee County Bar Associations and is licensed to practice in all state courts in Florida, as well as the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida.
As part of his alternative dispute resolution practice, Berk handles both binding and non-binding arbitrations. As more and more judges are turning to non-binding arbitration pursuant to Florida Statute Section 44.103 as a means of case management, parties need an experienced arbitrator with practical experience to render a thorough and informed decision. When selecting Berk to arbitrate your case, you will get such a decision.
In addition to his alternative dispute practice, Berk offers general counsel services to a diverse list of corporate entities, with a primary emphasis in construction, real estate development and local government.
Berk has been married to his wife, Charlotte, for 25 years and they have three beautiful girls, Alex, Emily and Jessica. When not spending time with his family, he devotes time to a variety of charitable organizations and various other volunteer efforts. He also enjoys hunting, fishing and golfing.
My goal is to help parties try and resolve disputes through the exercise of their right of self-determination. Mediation presents the opportunity to control one’s destiny to arrive at a voluntary, uncoerced decision in which each party makes free and informed choices as to process and outcome before having to walk into a courtroom and let a judge or jury determine their fate. Self-determination during mediation permits parties to play a significant participatory role and to interact directly and confidentially with me as your mediator. This promotes a greater respect for and ultimate effectiveness of the mediation process. My pledge is to give each and every party the personal attention and devotion they deserve to maximize their right of self-determination and settle their dispute.