Hon. Christine Ward (Ret.) brings over two decades of distinguished judicial service and a comprehensive background in complex commercial litigation to her role as a neutral at JAMS. Appointed to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in 2003 and subsequently retained by voters for multiple terms, Judge Ward served in both the Family and Civil divisions, with a notable tenure as the administrative judge of the Civil Division from 2017 to 2024. Her leadership was instrumental in shaping the Commerce and Complex Litigation Center in Pittsburgh, where she presided over high-stakes disputes involving corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, trade secrets and intellectual property.

Prior to joining the bench, Judge Ward had an accomplished career in private practice, including as a founding member of Sweeney Metz McGrann & Schermer and a partner at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis. She built a reputation for handling sophisticated commercial disputes and advising business clients on strategic litigation matters. Her practical experience in corporate law and litigation provided a solid foundation for her later judicial work, particularly in the business court context.

Judge Ward’s influence extends beyond the courtroom. She has been actively involved with the American College of Business Court Judges, where she served as president, and she has represented the judiciary in various capacities within the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section. Her contributions to national conversations on business litigation standards and her leadership in judicial initiatives have made her a respected voice in the commercial dispute resolution field.

At JAMS, Judge Ward brings a thoughtful, balanced approach to resolving complex commercial and corporate matters through mediation, arbitration and neutral evaluation. Known for her ability to manage intricate cases efficiently, she offers clarity, fairness and practical insight into every matter she handles.

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• As administrative judge of the Civil Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Judge Ward spearheaded the development and implementation of a mandatory mediation program for general docket cases. This initiative was launched in response to strong interest from Civil Division attorneys following the success of a voluntary, no-cost mediation program introduced during the suspension of jury trials amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The voluntary program yielded a high settlement rate and significantly reduced the backlog of cases, positioning the court for a more efficient transition when trials resumed.
• At the request and with the consent of counsel, she conducted numerous conciliations of complex business disputes. These efforts frequently resulted in full or partial settlements, or helped narrow the issues in preparation for trial, promoting greater efficiency and resolution in high-stakes litigation.
• Appointed by the American Arbitration Association to serve on its Employment Law Panel, she handled arbitration matters involving a broad range of workplace disputes.

Representative Matters

• Business Commercial
• Presided over a high-stakes commercial litigation involving claims of negligence, breach of contract and breach of warranty following significant property damage at an industrial facility; case resulted in a multimillion-dollar jury verdict, substantial delay damages and an award of attorneys’ fees and costs; post-trial proceedings included complex motions related to apportionment of liability, judicial emergency timelines and multiple anticipated appeals
• Presided over case centered on the interpretation of business income, extra expense and civil authority provisions in a commercial policy, along with the applicability of various exclusions; policy language was found to be ambiguous, and ruling was in favor of the insured, emphasizing the principle that ambiguities in insurance contracts must be construed against the insurer under Pennsylvania law; summary judgment granted in declaratory judgment class action involving insurance coverage for pandemic-related business losses
• Presided over a highly contested injunction proceeding challenging the termination by Pittsburgh International Airport of its concessions provider; the issue was whether the business relationship was governed by a lease, making it a landlord/tenant relationship, or a commercial contract
• Presided over a number of complex insurance coverage cases involving hundreds of millions of dollars of coverage, including business interruption, asbestos claims, environmental and CGL coverage
• Presided over several significant breach of contract cases about the Marcellus Shale natural gas formation involving issues with joint ventures in the production (downstream) and pipeline (upstream) phases of shale gas development, production and transportation
• Civil Rights
• Presided over case involving petitions from two transgender women who sought name changes aligned with gender identity, resulting in holding a Pennsylvania statute unconstitutional for prohibiting individuals with felony convictions from legally changing their names; the ruling emphasized the constitutional rights to individual dignity and protection from discrimination, particularly where outdated legal names exposed petitioners to emotional distress and public harm; the decision addressed complex intersections of identity, criminal history and civil rights
• Corporate Governance
• Presided over a shareholder derivative suit challenging the $28 billion acquisition of the HJ Heinz Company by Berkshire Hathaway and Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital; the case involved the application of the business judgment rule, as expressed in the American Law Institute’s principles, relating to derivative actions and the evaluation of the findings of the Heinz Special Litigation Committee; the ruling concluded that the committee's findings that the Heinz corporate officer's belief that the acquisition was in the best interest of the company was not the product of bad faith, self-dealing, concealment or other breach of the officer's duty of loyalty
• Presided over many cases alleging violations of minority shareholder or limited partner rights claiming illegal "freeze-outs" or "squeeze-outs" of stakeholders in business entities; the rulings required application of Pennsylvania's Business Corporation Law, LLC Act and Uniform Partnership Act
• Employment Law
• Presided over a multiweek jury trial where plaintiffs alleged defamation in a SEC filing following their voluntary separation from an investment advisory firm; the jury awarded the three former employees $29 million in compensatory and punitive damages
• Presided over numerous cases involving alleged violations of noncompete and nonsolicit clauses in employment contracts, including those involving a Fortune 50 executive, a group of insurance professionals and several physicians 
• Family Law
• Presided over a juvenile court case resolving an issue of first impression in Pennsylvania, ruling that the child protective services agency was responsible for continuing foster care payments for a child who was admitted to college on a scholarship for the duration of her college education
• Intellectual Property
• Presided over a preliminary injunction between a large domestic and a foreign railroad corporation over technology being developed relating to positive train control; the technology would enable the automatic stopping of a train upon detection of a dangerous condition on the track ahead; the case proceeded with multiple days of closed courtroom testimony about the two entities' development of their positive train technology
• Presided over a number of trademark cases in a variety of industries, primarily claiming market confusion and the validity of market surveys
• Personal Injury
• Presided over a group of cases against several Catholic dioceses, alleging sexual abuse by clergy and teachers; one such case resulted in a ruling distinguishing a Pennsylvania Supreme Court case on the application of the statute of limitations, permitting a factual analysis of the Discovery Rule and allowing the case to proceed past the preliminary stages
• Presided over several cases alleging premises liability in which women were sexually assaulted on the property of a mall operator, a fast-food chain and a national coffee chain; at issue was not only premises liability, but also whether the cases could be brought anonymously or the plaintiffs had to bring the case in their names; the ruling permitted anonymous prosecution, reasoning that the defendants were fully aware of the plaintiff’s identification
• Real Property
• Presided over complex foreclosure matter involving federally subsidized affordable housing, which included property conditions, receivership management and balancing creditor rights with community welfare
• Presided over consumer protection case involving predatory rent-to-own housing agreements; matter involved widespread allegations of deceptive contract terms, unsafe living conditions and improper eviction practices affecting hundreds of low-income families statewide
• Presided over matter involving closure and evacuation of a deteriorated residential property due to severe safety hazards, including fire risk and structural instability; case involved balancing tenant protections under a pandemic-related eviction moratorium with urgent public safety concerns; decision was informed by documented property neglect, prior incidents and local code enforcement reports
• Presided over a large partition case involving generations of property owners adjacent to the Pittsburgh International Airport allowing the airport to acquire the parcels necessary for leasing the larger airport property to a shale gas driller and producer, resulting in significant royalties to the airport
• Taxation
• Presided over two cases challenging the constitutionality of local tax ordinances; Allegheny County’s tax on the sale of alcoholic beverages (the "drink tax") to support public transit in the county was found to be constitutional, while the City of Pittsburgh’s 3% tax on out-of-state athletes and performers (the "jock tax") was found to be violative of the Pennsylvania Constitution's uniformity clause

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• President, Pennsylvania Conference of State Court Judges, 2022
• Member, Civil Procedural Rules Committee, Pennsylvania Supreme Court
• Chair, 2022
• Member, American College of Business Court Judges, 2008–2025
• President, 2018–2019
• Business Court Representative, Business Law Section, American Bar Association, 2012–2013
  • Member, M&A Litigation Joint Task Force, 2013–2014
  • Member, Business and Corporation Litigation Committee, 2013–2025
  • Member, Judges’ Initiative Committee, 2017–2025

Selected Awards and Honors

• Most Valuable Peacemaker Award, Pennsylvania Council of Mediators, 2023 
• Allegheny County Bar Association
  • Pro Bono Achievement Award, 2021
  • Judicial Services Award, 2023
• Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, 2017
• Legal Achievement Award, Washington & Jefferson College, 2011

Background and Education

• Administrative Judge, Civil Division, Pennsylvania Supreme Court, 2017–2024
• Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, 2014–2020 
• Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, 2003–2023
• Commerce and Complex Litigation Center, Civil Division, 2007–2017
• Family Division, 2003–2007
• Partner, Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, 2000
• Founding Member, Sweeney Metz McGrann & Schermer, 1998
• Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote
  • Partner, 1987–1998
  • Associate, 1982–1987
• J.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Law, 1982
• B.A., Washington & Jefferson College, 1979