Pam formed The Hoerster Mediation Firm in 1996. She is dedicated to helping people find new ways of resolving disputes. She offers insight, practicality and seasoned judgment that derive from an extensive background as a trial attorney in a variety of complex civil law matters.
She is sanctioned as a “Distinguished Credentialed Mediator“, having mediated over 10,000 cases. Her understanding of the needs of all parties in litigation is heightened by considerable success in the courtroom representing plaintiffs, as well as defendants.
Pam received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education and English in 1979 from the University of Houston. In addition to her academic accomplishments, Pam was a scholarship collegiate athlete at the University of Texas and University of Houston.
Prior to attending law school she served as a public high school educator, where she dealt with conflict management on a daily basis. While working full-time, she received her law degree from South Texas College of Law in 1984. She interned with the First Court of Appeals and the late Honorable Norman Black (as federal judge) for the Southern District of Texas during her final year.
Pam previously served as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center since 1991. She has taught civil trial advocacy, evidence and mediation to second and third year students. She is a former invited faculty member of Atlanta’s Emory Law School. And, she is contributing author to “Texas Litigation Primer”.
Pam previously served as President for the Houston Chapter of the Association of Attorney Mediators and Vice-Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution section of the Houston Bar Association. She is the former Chair for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Houston Bar Association. She served on the Inaugural Advisory Board for the Frank Evans Center for Dispute Resolution and a former invited member of the American Inns of Court.
She was previously appointed by the Galveston County District Judges to the Board for Mediation Services of Galveston County and elected to the Council for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section for the Houston Bar Association. Pam was elected President of The Mediation Association of Galveston County for 1998.
Pam received her basic mediation training through the Attorney Mediators Institute. She has received advanced civil and family law training also. She is very active in all aspects of the International Academy of Mediators, the Association of Attorney Mediators and the ADR section of the Houston Bar Association. The Association of Attorney-Mediators appointed her to the “Leadership Committee” for the 2002-2003 term. Overall, she has been accredited over 200 hours of CLE in dispute resolution. She has been an invited speaker and author to hundreds of lawyers and ADR professionals over the years. She has also been appointed and served as a Special Master, Attorney Ad Litem and Guardian Ad Litem.
Mediation Experience
Pam is known for her high success rate. Types of cases mediated: catastrophic events, mass torts, windstorm and insurance, commercial, breach of contract, personal injury, medical malpractice, automobile liability, legal malpractice, deceptive trade practices, employment disputes, FELA, general maritime law and others.
Ad Litem Experience:
Appointed in excess of 80 times as Guardian/Attorney Ad Litem or Special Master.
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association
- State Bar of Texas
- Houston, and Galveston Bar Associations
- Association of Attorney Mediators
- Texas Association of Mediators
- Maritime Law Association
- National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
- Texas Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
Honors and Special Appointments
- Texas Mediator Credentialing Association- “Distinguished Credentialed” – (2011)
- Longhorn Advisory Counsel for the University of Texas at Austin (2010) – Lifetime Appointment
- Frank Evans Dispute Resolution Center – Inaugural Advisory Board Member – (2005)
- Houston Bar Association – ADR Section – Chair – (2004-2005)
- Association of Attorney Mediators – Advanced Mediator Certification – (2004)
- Houston Bar Association – ADR Section – Chair Elect – (2003-2004)
- Association of Attorney Mediators – “Leadership Committee” – (2002-2003)
- Association of Attorney Mediators – Board of Director (1999-2000), President-Houston Chapter (2000-2001)
- Mediation Services of Galveston County – Board Member (1998)
- Houston Bar Association – ADR Section – Council Member (1998), Secretary 1999-2000, Vice Chair- (2000-2001)
- The Mediation Association of Galveston County – President (1998)
Education
- South Texas College of Law (J.D. 1984)
- University of Houston (B.S. 1979)
- University of Texas (Dean’s List 1974-75)
Professional History
- The Hoerster Mediation Firm, Houston, Texas 1996 – Present
- President/Founding Owner, SYDOW & MCDONALD, L.L.P., Houston, Texas (1994 – 1996)
- Litigator/Partner, BELL & MURPHY, Houston, Texas (1989 – 1994)
- Litigator/Senior Associate, MCLEOD, ALEXANDER, POWELL & APFFEL, P.C., Galveston, Texas (1984 – 1989)
- Litigator:
- Admitted to Practice by the State Bar of Texas
- Admitted to Practice in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas
- Adjunct Professor; University of Houston Law Center (1991 – 1997) (civil trial, evidence and mediation)
- Advanced Certified Mediator Accreditation (2004)
STATE BAR OF TEXAS
Minimum Continuing Legal Education
- Practice Issues WC-22 (2020)
- Live Interactive Webinar (2020)
- Arbitration Strategies: Taking Your Practice to Next Level (2020)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution 2014 (2019)
- Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute (2019)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution 2013 with Nina Meierding: Rec (2018)
- Harris Martin’s Hurricane Harvey Conference (2017)
- Galveston County Ad Litem Seminar (2017)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution 2017 (2017)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution 2016 (2016)
- Other Self-study (2016)
- Other Self-study (2016
- Galveston Ad Litem Seminar (2015)
- Making the Most of Mediation (2015)
- Give Peace a Change (2015)
- Advanced Guardianship Law (2015)
Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR Training
- Advanced Guardianship Law (2015)
- Personal Injury Attorney Trial Seminar (2015)
- Harris County Ad Litem Seminar (2014)
- Galveston County Ad Litem Seminar (2013)
- UT Insurance Seminar (2013)
- South Texas College of Law Guardian and Attorney Ad Litem Certification (2012)
- Advanced Personal Injury Law Court (2012)
- Advanced Civil Trial (2012)
- Ad Litem Certification Seminar (2012)
- Getting to and Mediating in the Red Zone (2012)
- UT CLE- Insurance Law Institute (2011)
- Galveston County Ad Litem Seminar (2011)
- Innovations in Collaboration: Conflict Resolution (2010)
- Mediation Ethics (2010)
- Successful Mediation in a Nutshell: A Four Part Series (2010)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (2010)
- UT CLE- The Next Generation of Alternative Dispute Resolution: Utilizing Technology (2010)
- Texas Bar Arbitration and the Vanishing Jury Trial (2009)
- Galveston County Bar Association Ad Litem Seminar (2009)
- Houston Bar Association Civil Court Ad Litem (2007)
- HCDLA Texas Campaign Finance Law (2007)
- Galveston County Ad Litem Seminar (2007)
- Advanced Guardianship Course (2007)
- Tax Consequences in Mediated Settlement Agreements (2007)
- Texas Bar Advanced Estate Planning and Probate Course (2006)
- South Texas College of Law Automobile/Personal Injury Conference (2006)
- Advanced Attorney-Mediation Training – Focus on Ethics (2005)
- Appellate Mediation From the Perspective of Appellate Lawyer (2005)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution Legislative Preview (2005)
- South Texas College of Law Automobile Injury Conference (2005)
- South Texas College of Law Personal Injury Law Conference (2005)
- Ethical Distinctions between Mediation and Arbitration (2004)
- Importance of Cultural Understanding in Conflict Resolution (2004)
- Resolution and Resilience in New York (2004)
- Advocacy Skills for Resolving Disputes (2004)
- Texas Associate of Mediators – Annual Conference (2002)
- Mediation: Myths vs. Reality (2002)
- Houston Bar Association The New Judicial Perspective on ADR (2001)
- Houston Bar Association An Overview of Peer Mediation (2000)
- Association of Attorney Mediators-Annual Conference (2000)
- Houston Bar Association New Judicial Perspective on ADR (2000)
- Association of Attorney Mediators Medical Malpractice Mediations (2000)
- Association of Attorney Mediators ADR Practice in the 164th Judicial District Court (2000)
- Association of Attorney Mediators Annual Meeting/Advanced Mediator Training (2000)
- Association of Attorney Mediators Recent Developments in Legal Ethics and Malpractice (1999)
- Association of Attorney Mediators Developing Cross Cultural Communication (1999)
- Association of Attorney Mediators Lessons Learned Using Transformative Mediation (1999)
- Houston Bar Association Civil Court Ad Litem Institute (1999)
- State Bar of Texas TAM Conference, The Promise of Mediation (1999)
- Association of Attorney Mediators Mediation of Products Liability Cases (1999)
- Houston Bar Association Mediation in Estate Planning and Probate Matters (1999)
- Houston Bar Association Texas Supreme Court Rules and Ethics for Mediation (1999)
- Association of Attorney Mediators The Role of the Excess of Insurer in Mediation (1999)
- Advanced Mediation Skills for U.S. Postal Service Mediators (1999)
- Advanced CLE Conference for the Association of Attorney Mediators (1999)
- Texas Association of Mediators Annual Conference (1998 – 1999)
- HBA/ADR Section Annual Seminar (1997)
- Mediation Association of Galveston County Quarterly Meeting (1997)
- Litigation Risk Analysis (Advanced Training) – Attorney Mediators Institute (1996)
- Basic Mediation Training – Attorney Mediators Institute (1996)
- Family Law Mediation – Attorney Mediators Institute (1996)
- Pam Hoerster has received in excess of 200 hours of CLE in ADR training
