Cindy Niad Hannah, Esq. is President and Chief Executive Officer of ATD Mediation & Arbitration, P.A. She has mediated over 7,500 lawsuits and pre-suit disputes. Her ADR and arbitration practice largely consists of complex commercial cases, personal injury, wrongful death, premises and auto liability claims, employment discrimination, ADA and wage/hour disputes. She also concentrates on admiralty and Jones Act cases, banking and collection matters, insurance coverage issues, construction delay and defect matter, windstorm and property damage claims, and medical malpractice, healthcare, nursing home cases and elder law disputes. The secret to Cindy’s success is applying a proactive approach to the resolution process.
Cindy is an AV Pre-eminent rated attorney by Martindale Hubbell, has been a Florida Certified Circuit Civil Mediator since 1993 and was one of the first mediators in Florida to become a Florida Certified Appellate Mediator. Cindy is a panel mediator on the AAA / ICDR Roster of Mediators, is a panel mediator with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and was chosen to be a AAA mediator for the New York Sandy pre-suit program. She gained her AAA mortgage foreclosure mediation certificate for Florida Circuit Court foreclosures and has served as an EEOC Private Mediation panel member.
Cindy is a panel Arbitrator on American Abrbitration Association; and is a Qualified Arbitrator for Miami-Dade and Broward County Circuit Courts. She has been selected arbitrator in numerous disputes including international disputes with the AAA international center for dispute resolution.
In 2015, Cindy was profiled by Fortune Magazine for being selected as one of the Leading Women Lawyers by Martindale Hubbell and ALM Media. Cindy is a member of the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators, where she previously served as member of its Board of Directors. Cindy was honored to be voted by the Daily Business Review as one of the top three South Florida Mediators in 2013, 2014, 2015 and came in first place in 2016, 2017 and 2018. In 2019, Cindy withdrew her name from the competition to let others be recognized, and proudly mentor Daniel Field took first place instead. Cindy’s alternative dispute resolution practice is not limited to Florida. She has traveled nationally and internationally to as far away as Romania, in Eastern Europe and to Puerto Rico to mediate lawsuits.
Cindy’s Florida legal career began in 1984 as an associate in the commercial litigation department of the now defunct Ruden, Barnett, McClosky, Smith, Schuster & Russell law firm, where she handled complex commercial cases and class action disputes. From private practice, Cindy became Vice President and Legal Counsel for Southeast Bank, N.A and Southeast Mortgage Company where she was responsible for litigation. After Southeast’s demise, she became Senior Counsel for Barnett Banks, Inc. and later, as Senior Legal Counsel, created the Legal Department for Eastern Financial Federal Credit Union. After 10 years as a mediator with Florida Mediation Group, Inc., Cindy founded ATD Mediation & Arbitration, P.A.; to better serve attorneys and parties seeking experienced mediators in South Florida.
Cindy graduated with a Bachelors of Arts with Honors, from Emory University in 1980, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She received her Juris Doctor from the State University of New York in 1984, where she graduated with Honors and was elected to serve on the Moot Court Board and Student Bar Association.
Cindy’s charitable interests include being a Godparent to JAFCO, serving the needs of children in the foster care and adoptive process, and served as a member of the first Board of Trustees of the JAFCO Respite and Residential Center for Children with Developmental Disabilities. She was a member of the Women Executive Leadership and was twice selected by the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Broward County as one of the 100 outstanding Women of Broward County. Cindy previously served as a member of the St. Thomas Law School Inns of Court and on the Executive Council of the Legal Aid Service of Broward, Inc.
