Biography
Richard F. Joyce, Esq.
A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Rick Joyce began his legal career in 1981 with the Chicago office of Bell Boyd and Lloyd. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1977 with a degree in Business Administration, and earned his J.D. from the St. Louis University School of Law in 1981 where he earned membership in the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society and was elected President of the Student Bar Association.
An existing Florida client prompted a move to the Jacksonville area in the mid ‘80’s where, after a brief association with a prominent local firm, he joined with one of the other partners to form the firm of Conn and Joyce, P.A. (eventually Conn, Joyce and Christine P.A.) The firm’s main offices were in St. Augustine and its practice served clients throughout the state primarily in the areas of corporate, business, land use and transactions, municipal and commercial litigation.
In 1990, he joined the Dixon Ticonderoga Company in Central Florida as General Counsel. Dixon was a 210 year old international public manufacturing company engaged in diversified businesses including the writing instrument and art product markets as well as two graphite related industrial markets. It is best known in the USA for the #2 Ticonderoga pencil. He remained with the Company for 15 years until its sale and privatization in February 2005.
While continuing to serve as General Counsel throughout his entire tenure, he accepted the opportunity to expand his business experience in progressively more responsible management positions within the Company – ultimately being named Co-CEO and Vice Chairman of the Board in 1998. He served in these multiple roles through the Company’s sale referenced above. These combined duties as CEO and General Counsel gave him ultimate responsibility for all aspects of the Company’s operations and legal challenges on a global scale with facilities in the USA, Canada, Mexico, China and the UK and nearly two thousand employees worldwide.
Upon the sale of the Company, he joined the Orlando office of Akerman, Senterfitt where, in addition to serving his business client base, he devoted his practice primarily to the mediation and resolution of myriad commercial and family disputes. That affiliation ended on November 1, 2008 when he founded Central Florida Mediators to focus exclusively on his Mediation practice.
He is certified by the Florida Supreme Court in both Circuit Civil and Family Mediation and is a Qualified Arbitrator having completed both the Basic and Advanced Training programs. He has been approved by the Fifth DCA as an Appellate Mediator and served as a Qualified Assistant Mediation Trainer with Perry Itkin, Esq. in conducting his Mediation Certification Programs. He has served as a Special Magistrate in the city of Tavares and both Lake and Alachua Counties. He served as an Adjunct Professor of Negotiation at the Crummer Graduate School at Rollins College and is a frequent speaker on the art of negotiation and mediation.
He is a member of the Bar of the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida and an approved Mediator for said Court
ADDITIONAL HONORS AND PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Rick has served on multiple Civic and Community Boards throughout the years including the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, Chair of the Metro Orlando International Affairs Commission, Florida Citrus Sports and the Nemours Hospital Advisory Board. He has been named one of the top Mediator/Arbitrators in the State by his peers multiple times in Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite. He is a 2009 graduate of “Leadership Florida”.
In addition to his professional pursuits, Rick spent ten years as a Lake Mary Pop Warner Head Football Coach winning two consecutive state championships (1993-1994). An avid fisherman, he can frequently be found piloting his center console twin engine McKee Craft -“Our Four Buoys”- off the shores of St. Augustine.
Rick has been married to his wife Debbie for over 37 years. She is the owner of the popular Personal Chef business “World’s Worst Cook”. They have four sons: Ryan and Kevin are Owners and Principles of Insurance Affiliates (a full service Insurance Agency) and Hyperion Capital (a Wealth Management Group). They operate theses businesses out of Winter Park, Fl. Kyle is an associate at Montana Reclaimed Lumber in Bozeman Montana and Daniel is the Foreman of Ward’s Custom Works also of Bozeman. Debbie and Rick still fondly reminisce the days following their football playing sons in the fall. In fact the boys were featured in USA Today in August 2005, when they were playing for four different colleges at the same time.
With the marriage of their oldest son Ryan, they are impatiently awaiting being designated grand parents someday.
Practice Areas
-
MEDIATIONMEDIATION
-
ARBITRATIONARBITRATION
-
FAMILY LAWFAMILY LAW
-
REAL ESTATEREAL ESTATE
-
PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMSPERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS