Richard Ormand

Welcome to Pathway Mediation, a better, more economical way of resolving or avoiding civil disputes. Pathway was opened by Rick Ormand following his retirement as a senior trial attorney with the GEICO staff counsel office in Atlanta and after capping a nearly 41 year career as a trial attorney. Rick established Pathway with one goal in mind; to allow attorneys and their clients access to an affordable and effective alternative to the cost and delays of a jury trial.

Rick has had the privilege of doing what few other mediators get the opportunity to do; serve as lead counsel in over 150 jury trials throughout North Georgia and particpate in well over 100 mediations as an attorney. Not only did his experience in the courtroom enrich his life and career as a trial lawyer immeasurably, it opened the door to a world of knowledge that would add to the resources he brought to every mediation he attended. Having spoken with an untold number of jurors at the conclusion of most every case he has tried, Rick is one of those mediators able to draw upon decades of real life experiences. Whether it's the fundamental issues of what really matters to a juror or the perceived strength or weakness of a party's position on a particular matter at trial, only a select number of mediators like Rick have the credibility to bring the often unpredictable and unexpected nature of the jury's verdict front and center in the mediation.

Pathway Mediation was formed with a clear mission around a simple philosophy. Rick believes mediation should be affordable, efficient and effective. The cost of mediation remains an ongoing concern for attorneys, insurance companies and their clients and often becomes an unwanted obstacle to effectively utilizing alternative dispute resolution. Rick is determined to make his services affordable for everyone involved in the mediation process by setting and maintaining a reasonable hourly rate and avoiding many of the add-on fees often charged by other mediators. For details concerning the fee schedule and other terms of conducting a mediation, please click the link labeled “Mediation Services”

Please call upon Pathway if we can be of service in resolving your dispute through affordable and lower cost mediation.

Rick received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University in 1969 and is a 1972 graduate of the University of Georgia Law School. Following his admission to the Georgia Bar, Rick would spend the next 25 years as a litigator in private practice, serving as lead counsel in well over 100 civil jury trials. While his primary emphasis during this period was in the area of insurance defense for multiple insurance companies, he was also involved in the representation of clients with personal injury, wrongful death, workers' compensation and social security disability claims. His trial work on behalf of insurance companies involved the defense of a wide range of personal injury, wrongful death and property damage lawsuits, including motor vehicle and trucking accidents, premises liability, defective products, and intentional torts.

In 1997, Rick joined the GEICO Staff Counsel Office in Atlanta and remained a member of that office until his retirement in December 2013 as senior trial attorney. While with GEICO, he was responsible for managing a large caseload that included the defense and trial of lawsuits, many involving serious injuries, throughout the metro Atlanta and North Georgia counties.

In addition, both before and during his tenure with GEICO, Rick's practice routinely called for attendance at dozens of mediations in counties across North Georgia as an attorney. Dating back to the 1990s, this experience allowed him to gain a unique perspective on every detail of the mediation process and develop a keen insight into those things that are most effective in achieving the resolution of a civil dispute. While still actively practicing law, but with an eye toward a second career following his retirement, Rick completed his mediation training in 2012, became a registered mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution and promptly joined the panel of mediators around Atlanta.