Mediator approved in all Maryland Circuit Courts (since 2012). Arbitrator. Attorney licensed in Maryland — State and Federal courts — since 1983. J.D., University of Baltimore School of Law, 1983.
Earl J. Acquaviva, Jr., Esq. is a mediator approved in all Maryland Circuit Courts, an arbitrator, and an attorney who has helped parties resolve disputes across Maryland and in private, multi-state matters nationwide since 2012.
Licensed to practice law in Maryland’s state and federal courts since 1983, he brings more than four decades of legal, business, and human-resources experience to every matter.
Earl mediates and arbitrates personal injury and wrongful death, business and contract, employment and discrimination, and complex multi-jurisdictional class-action matters.
He serves clients in person and by Zoom from his Kingsville office — throughout all Maryland Circuit Courts and in private mediations across 13 states, including MD, VA, MA, PA, CA, AZ, DC, NC, AL, WA, TX, OH, and WI.
Before becoming a full-time mediator, Earl served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary, and Chief Litigation Officer of Bally Total Fitness. Bally operated over 400 fitness centers across 29 states and Canada and employed over 20,000 people serving over 4 million members.
As Chief Litigation Officer, he oversaw all litigation, claims, adjusters, and outside counsel for the company. He attended and directed significant hearings, mediations, arbitrations, and settlement conferences across multiple jurisdictions.
That role required him to read complex fact patterns quickly, assess exposure across state lines, and drive resolution in matters ranging from single-incident personal injury claims to multi-state class actions.
In 1990, Earl designed and led Bally’s nationwide Employment Dispute Resolution Procedure — an internal ADR program that voluntarily resolved virtually all of the company’s employment disputes without litigation.
The program covered wrongful termination, discrimination, wage-and-hour claims, and workplace conflicts across the company’s national footprint.
That experience — building a dispute resolution system from the ground up, managing litigation across 29 jurisdictions, and resolving thousands of disputes at every level of complexity — is the foundation Earl brings to every mediation session today.
The Maryland Judiciary has approved Earl as a Circuit Court mediator in five case categories. His current roster approvals, confirmed on the Maryland Judiciary’s statewide mediator database, include:
Approved Case Type | Status | Awarded |
Civil (Non-Domestic) | Active | 06/30/2025 |
Business and Technology | Active | 03/10/2026 |
Child Custody and Visitation | Active | 06/30/2025 |
Marital Property and Divorce | Active | 06/30/2025 |
MPME Badge | Active | 06/30/2025 |
Anne Arundel County · Baltimore City · Baltimore County · Carroll County · Cecil County · Howard County · Statewide
Earl has mediated court-referred cases across Maryland Circuit Courts and private disputes in 13 states — MD, VA, MA, PA, CA, AZ, DC, NC, AL, WA, TX, OH, and WI. His statewide approval allows him to accept mediations in any Maryland circuit court, and his private mediation practice extends nationwide.
Earl is a distinguished business and contract mediator with years of experience.
Earl earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1983. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Finance from Towson University (1980) and an Associate of Arts in Business from Anne Arundel Community College (1978).
His legal education and undergraduate business training inform the way he approaches mediation — particularly in matters involving contract interpretation, corporate governance, financial disputes, and employment law.
Maryland Bar No. 8312010005 — active, good standing, admitted 1983. Verified through the Maryland Client Protection Fund attorney listing.
Licensed to practice law in the State of Maryland — State and Federal courts — since 1983.
ADR Mediator — approved in all Maryland Circuit Courts for assigned civil mediations since 2012. Private mediator for multi-state and complex disputes nationwide.
Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence (MPME) — active member. MPME is administered by the Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO) within the Administrative Office of the Maryland Courts.
Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) — Maryland Chapter member.
Earl approaches every mediation as a structured problem-solving session, not a negotiation performance. His method draws on the same framework he built at Bally Total Fitness: identify the core interests on both sides, test the realistic range of outcomes, and move the parties toward a resolution both sides can accept.
He prepares by reviewing all case materials in advance and expects the same from the parties.
He holds sessions at his Kingsville office or by Zoom — serving all Maryland Circuit Courts and private multi-state matters nationwide — typically scheduling two to three hours for standard matters and longer sessions or multiple dates for complex or multi-party disputes.
Earl does not represent either party. He does not give legal advice during mediation. His role is to facilitate communication, surface common ground, and help both sides make informed decisions about resolution — the same principles the Maryland Standards of Conduct for Mediators require of every court-approved practitioner.
Earl is a distinguished business and contract mediator with years of experience.
Phone: 410-598-2658 Email: earlacquaviva@gmail.com Office: 11400 Marvon Road, Kingsville, MD 21087 Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Eastern LinkedIn: Earl J. Acquaviva, Jr., Esq.