The Mediation Statement and the Persuasive Binder: Written Advocacy That Settles Cases

James R. Haug, Founding Partner | Haug Barron Law Group

James R. Haug is the Founding Partner of Haug Barron Law Group, a plaintiff-side trial firm with offices in Sandy Springs and Decatur, Georgia. His litigation practice concentrates on catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, trucking collisions, wrongful death, and complex personal injury matters. Together with Managing Partner Colin A. Barron, he obtained a $30 million verdict in DeKalb County State Court in the Butler v. McDaniel matter and he built the firm on the philosophy that every case is prepared as though it will go to trial.

• Education & Credentials

Mr. Haug graduated from the University of Georgia and earned his law degree at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and holds the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating.

• Recognition & Leadership

Mr. Haug has been named to the Super Lawyers list (2024-2026) [confirm year range with speaker: the profile narrative states 2024 and 2025, while the profile’s awards listing states 2024-2026] and was previously recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star (2017-2023). His commentary on tort reform, corporate accountability, and jury decision-making has appeared in the Daily Report, Law.com, Authority Magazine, and Attorney at Law Magazine, where his May 2026 opinion article examined the narratives surrounding large Georgia verdicts.

• Professional Involvement

He is a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Million Dollar Trial Lawyers, the American Association for Justice Trucking Litigation Group, and the Georgia Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.

• Experience

Early in his career, Mr. Haug secured a medical malpractice verdict of more than $1 million within three years of practice. He went on to found Haug Barron Law Group and has since obtained multimillion-dollar results across Georgia, including the $30 million DeKalb County State Court verdict, a $5 million trucking settlement in Gwinnett County in 2024, a $2 million premises liability settlement, and a $1.06 million medical malpractice verdict. The firm regularly appears in the State Courts of DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton, and Henry Counties and surrounding jurisdictions.

SESSION 1 – Writing Mediation Statements for the Neutral and the Opposing Decision-Maker | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

This session teaches attorneys how to draft mediation statements that serve two distinct audiences simultaneously: the mediator who needs to understand the case and the opposing decision-maker who needs to be persuaded to settle. Attendees will learn the strategic architecture of confidential versus open submissions, the structural and tonal choices that distinguish effective mediation advocacy from repurposed litigation filings, and the ethical and confidentiality frameworks governing written mediation submissions. Attorneys leave with a replicable drafting framework applicable across civil practice areas.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 2 – Anchors, Damages Exhibits, and Settlement Video: Presenting the Number at Mediation | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

This session teaches attorneys how to present a damages number at mediation with maximum persuasive force, covering anchoring strategy, visual damages exhibits, settlement documentaries, and bracketed negotiation frameworks. Attendees will learn the behavioral science behind effective first offers, how to construct and deploy damages exhibits that persuade both the opposing decision-maker and the mediator in caucus, and when settlement videos are worth the investment. Attorneys leave with practical tools for translating case value into a credible, principled number that moves negotiations toward resolution.