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Laura Puccia Valtorta '80, of Columbia, SC, has joined the National Arbitration Forum's national panel of independent and neutral arbitrators and mediators.

Valtorta is an attorney who has been practicing law in South Carolina since 1993. She is qualified as a mediator in civil cases, state and federal courts, and as an arbitrator. She also works in a solo law practice, specializing in employment law, family law and Social Security disability cases. Recently she began practicing in the utilities area, with an emphasis on water rights for local neighborhoods.

An English major at St. Lawrence, Valtorta was a member of the Irving Bacheller Society (English department honorary society) and was elected to the University's chapter of the national academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa.

Valtorta also holds a master's degree in English from Duke University and a law degree from the University of South Carolina. She has published Family Meal, a 1993 novel, and Start Your Own Law Practice (2005). She is at work on a book about Social Security.

The National Arbitration Forum panel includes over 1,600 panelists who subscribe to the highest standards of professional conduct. They follow explicit rules to ensure that parties' rights are protected and all ethical principles are upheld. Valtorta was added primarily for her expertise in employment, contract and labor law.

Posted: October 24, 2007