Hon. Richard B. McQuade, Jr. (Ret.) joins JAMS in Detroit with over 30 years of private dispute resolution experience as an arbitrator, mediator and special master. Over the years, Judge McQuade has arbitrated and mediated a wide array of matters, including shareholder derivative suits, insurance coverage and bath faith claims, antitrust litigation, construction disputes, environmental actions, professional malpractice cases and employment disputes.

Prior to working as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) professional, Judge McQuade served as president and CEO of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Ohio. He also served on its board of directors for 20 years. In both roles, he oversaw corporate litigation and risk and provided practical, results-oriented advice to businesspeople.

Judge McQuade served as a United States district judge for the Northern District of Ohio from 1986 to 1989. During his time on the court, he also sat by designation in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Judicial colleagues and members of the federal bar thought highly of Judge McQuade for his legal acumen and his ability to grasp essential issues.

Representative Matters

• Arbitration
• Arbitrated in San Francisco involving an accounting malpractice claim brought by a nationwide financial institution against a major accounting firm
• Arbitrated in St. Louis involving a construction claim brought by an international company against a large, national construction contractor
• Arbitrated a multiparty, complex construction claim in Covington, Kentucky
• Arbitrated in Salt Lake City involving a consumer claim against a nationwide bank
• Arbitrated in Cleveland brought by a construction subcontractor against a large general contractor
• Arbitrated in Cleveland brought by an independent contractor against a major tool manufacturer
• Arbitrated in Toronto, Canada, involving a claim of defective software
• Arbitrated in Sandusky, Ohio, involving a claim of accounting malpractice
• Arbitrated in Cleveland involving patent and trademark infringements against a major European company
• Arbitrated involving a major international manufacturer charging a company working as its independent contractor with theft
• Arbitrated with a major international manufacturer involving claims of product liability and breach of contract against an equipment manufacturer for loss of production
• Arbitrated involving employee claims against a former employer
• Arbitrated in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, involving an alleged defective computer software design
• Arbitrated in Cleveland involving a churning claim against a national brokerage firm
• Mediation
• Mediated a claim against food processors because of a five-state salmonella outbreak
• Mediated scores of claims against physicians, nurses and hospitals involving obstetrical malpractice
• Mediated numerous cases against nursing homes for negligent care
• Mediated trademark infringement cases against major automobile manufacturers
• Mediated wrongful death and survival claims because of the death of four American civilians employed by a private contractor in Iraq
• Mediated fraud claim brought by a West Coast financial institution against a California bank
• Mediated a bad faith claim of a major national transportation company against its carrier
• Mediated a bad faith claim of a major Colorado law firm against malpractice carrier
• Mediated the dissolutions of several medical, legal and accounting practices
• Mediated class action claims against a major refinery for a spill
• Mediated claims of gas station owners against a major international fuel refiner
• Mediated Fair Labor Standards Act claims of employees of major insurance companies
• Mediated class action claims of borrowers of national automobile financing corporation
• Mediated scores of Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) claims
• Mediated the liquidation of claims against a failed insurance company
• Mediated a class action against a petroleum company for claims resulting from an explosion
• Mediated numerous claims of police brutality

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Chairman, Board of Trustees, St. John’s Jesuit High School & Academy, 2018–2022
• 12th Man Honor, The University of Toledo, 2012
• Trustee, The University of Toledo, 2003–2012
• Member, Board of Directors, National City Bank, 1995–2005
• Man for Others Award, St. John’s Jesuit High School & Academy, 2008
• Order of the Coif, The University of Toledo College of Law, 2004
• Chairman, Commission to Redistrict Appellate Districts, Ohio Legislature and The Supreme Court of Ohio, 1995–1996
• Member, Board of Directors, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Ohio, 1975–1995
• Chairman, Commission on Judicial Ethics Cannons, Ohio Legislature and The Supreme Court of Ohio, 1992–1993
• Nine Superior Judicial Service Awards, The Supreme Court of Ohio, 1978–86
• Leadership Award, Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, 1977

Background and Education

• Arbitrator/Mediator in Private Practice, 1995–2024
• Judge (by assignment of the Chief Justice of The Supreme Court of Ohio), Ohio Court of Common Pleas, 1995–2005
• President and CEO, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Ohio, 1989–1994
• District Court Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, 1986–1989
  • Seated by Designation, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 1986–1989
• Judge, Ohio Court of Common Pleas, 1978–1986
• Prosecutor, Fulton County (Ohio), 1969–1978
• Attorney in Private Practice, 1966–1978
• Assistant Prosecutor, Fulton County (Ohio), 1966–1968
• J.D., The University of Toledo College of Law, 1965
• Advertising/Public Relations Director, Toledo Trust Company (nka Key Bank), 1960–1965
• B.A., The University of Toledo, 1961