Karl Bayer, Dispute Resolution Expert

What is Alternative Dispute Resolution?

Alternative Dispute Resolution, or ADR, is the term commonly used to describe any of a number of skills and practices employed to facilitate the resolution of a conflict without the necessity of a trial. ADR can be extremely informal or rather formal; part of its allure is its inherent flexibility. ADR can refer to one of several pre-trial proceedings, such as mediation or arbitration, used when a formal dispute exists, or the term can refer to the implementation of systems or skills designed to prevent conflict long before a formal dispute can arise.

Karl Bayer is an ADR practitioner with years of experience in mediation and arbitration. A long-time succesful trial lawyer, Karl early recognized the opportunities which ADR provides to the world of litigation and began to explore the potential of his mediation practice. As he had already earned the respect and trust of both the plaintiffs' and the defense bars, he filled a niche in Austin as a mediator who is requested by both sides of most disputes. Karl Bayer's practice as a mediator or arbitrator of a wide variety of lawsuits has grown steadily over the years, and today his calendar is daily sought-after by attorneys in Austin and throughout Texas.

Karl is also frequently asked to serve as a pre-trial Special Master in federal district courts in Texas. While this service is often in the capacity of a Markman Master in patent infringement cases, he also serves as a general pre-trial master assisting judges and litigants as they wade through discovery and other pretrial procedural disputes.

Karl Bayer graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in electrical engineering in 1971 and went on to the Massachussetts Institutue of Technology, where he earned an M.S. in biomedical engineering in 1973. His masters thesis focused on the nerve fibers found in the brains of turtles. After spending some time designing radar tracking systems, he started law school at the University of Texas in Austin and worked in the Texas Senate concurrently. After law school, Mr. Bayer worked for several law firms, the Environmental Protection Agency and a United States Congressman before starting his own litigation practice in 1982. He began his ADR practice in the early 1990s. Karl was named a Fellow of the Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution at the University of Texas in 1998, and he is a member of numerous professional associations dedicated to ADR professionals. He has also written and spoken extensively about ADR topics, both at CLE presentations and for the University of Texas School of Law. He recognizes as part of his mission not only the use of ADR but also the teaching of its promise and application to other attorneys and businesspeople.