ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation; Special Master

Additional Services

International Disputes Consulting; Mock Arbitrations

Specialty Areas

Business; Commercial; Contracts; Energy; Intellectual Property; International; Real Estate; Technology.

ADR Experience/Training

Head of International Litigation and Arbitration Practice of Morrison and Foerster LLP (1996-2013); US Head of the International Arbitration Practice of DLA Piper LLP (2013-2019); sat as ICC, ICDR, AAA, and SIAC Arbitrator; Completed AAA, ICDR, and CIArb training; Lectured on arbitrators' jurisdiction, arbitrator ethics, discovery, remedies, expedited proceedings, adjusting advocacy to meet contrasting rules and expectations in US jury, domestic and international arbitration settings, etc.

Education

B.A. with Distinction and Departmental Honors (Economics), Stanford University; J.D., Harvard Law School

Licenses/Certification

California State Bar; admitted to practice in all US District Courts in California; Ninth, Fifth and Tenth US Circuit Courts of Appeal; US Supreme Court.

Affiliations

Life Member, American Law Institute; One of 31 Advisors to the ALI Project to Draft the Restatement of the US Law of International Commercial and Investment Treaty Arbitration; Former US Member, ICC Arbitration Commission; Member, AAA/ICDR Council; Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London); Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America; Former Chair, Litigation Section of the State Bar of California.

Honors/Awards

Named by The Daily Journal as one of California's "Top 100 Lawyers" (September 2018); Named by Best Lawyers in America as the "2018 San Francisco Arbitration Lawyer of the Year," and the "2020 San Francisco Mediation Lawyer of the Year;" Recipient of the Daily Journal's prestigious "2019 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year" award for thought leadership regarding international arbitration; Listed in Global Arbitration Review's "International Who's Who in Commercial Arbitration,” in Euromoney's Guide to World’s Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration, in Euromoney's Guide to World’s Leading Litigation Lawyers, and in Northern California Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters).

Articles/Publications

Co-author (with Hon. Daniel Weinstein) of the chapter on mediation in Thomson Reuters' treatise Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts (5th Ed. 2021); Author, "Six Trends that Will Shape Future International Commercial Disputes," Law 360 (2017); Author, "Should Technology Companies Arbitrate?" Corporate Counsel (2017). See www.chao-adr.com or LinkedIn page for speaking engagements and additional publications.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation; Special Master.

Additional Services

Neutral Evaluation; Discovery Referee.

Specialty Areas

Real Estate law (transactions and litigation); Mortgage Law; Landlord Tenant
(Commercial and Residential); Construction Defects; Neighbor's Disputes; Homeowners Association; Broker Malpractice; Purchase and Sale; Common Ownerships Formation and Litigation; Divorce; Child Custody; Child Visitation; Business Valuation, Property Division

ADR Experience/Training

Christine has mediated and counseled high conflict real estate matters and has extensive experience in crafting creative, cost-effective, and collaborative strategies aimed at streamlining the process of resolving disputes; has acted as mediator in several family law cases involving clients with high assets cases located in the United States and abroad.

Education

LLM Tax- Masters in Law of Taxation, Golden Gate University, 2004; Juris Doctorate Degree, Golden Gate University, 1984; BA Psychology, University of San Francisco, 1980, with honors. Languages: French, Arabic, Armenian, Spanish.

Licenses/Certification

California Bar 1985; Washington DC Bar 2005; Certified Family Law Specialist by California State Bar since 2003; Broker License 1997; Mediator? Certified by the Bar Association of San Francisco.

Affiliations

Member of the California State Bar since 1985; Member of the Washington D.C. since 2005; Real Estate Broker Since 1997; California Association of Realtors; National Association of Realtors; Member and Candidate to the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute; Member of the Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo and Contra Costa Bar Associations; Real Property and Family Law Sections of the California State Bar and ABA.

Honors/Awards

Christine has been recognized as a Super Lawyer by her peers.

Articles/Publications

Coauthor with Bernhardt's California Real Estate Cases 2000- Continuing Education of the Bar; Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; Article on Mediation - April 2005; Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; Article on Shared Use and Ownership Community/separate property- January 2006; Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; Article on Section 1031 Exchanges and Tenancy in Common Interests-July 2006; Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; Article on Elder Abuse-Three Lessons for Lawyers (Elder Abuse), November 2008; Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; Article on Partition-May 2010; Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; Article on Marriage of Fossum-March 2011I; Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; Article on Marriage of Valli, July 2011, Continuing Education of the Bar; Article on Marriage of Valli, May- 2014 (Supreme Court); Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; When Is An Elder?s Property "Taken" - Bounds v Superior Court-November 2014; Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; Forty Grand Prospects for Cotenancy Provisions in Shopping Center Leases- May 2015 Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; His, Hers, or Theirs-November 2015; Real Property Law Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar; When Does Separate Property Become Community Property (Or Vice Versa)-July 2016.

ADR Services

- Mediation
- Arbitration

Additional Services

Gary Benton is an internationally recognized Arbitrator and Mediator with expertise in international business, corporate investment, high tech, telecom, life sciences and emerging growth matters.

Specialty Areas

- Business
- Commercial
- Contracts
- Employment
- Energy
- Entertainment
- Intellectual Property
- International
- Intra– Organizational
- Partnership Disputes
- Patent/Trademark
- Securities

ADR Experience/Training

Over 35 years - has handled hundreds of cases around the world and serves on the panels of AAA, ICC, CPR and other leading ADR institutions in the US, Europe and Asia.

Appointed USDC NDCA Early Neutral Evaluator.

Education

AB cum laude, Washington University (Political Science, International Development and Earth & Planetary Sciences)
JD cum laude. Tulane University
Legal studies, UC Hastings (non-matriculated)
International studies, Stanford Univ. (non-matriculated)

Licenses/Certification

Qualified as a US lawyer (California and DC) and an English solicitor
Admitted US S.Ct., 9th Cir., Fed Cir. and all California federal district courts

Affiliations

Full time Arbitrator and Mediator;
Adjunct Professor of Law at Santa Clara University;
Founder/Chairman of Founder and Chairman of the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center (SVAMC);
Previously a partner with Coudert Brothers and Pillsbury.

Honors/Awards

CIArb Chartered Arbitrator and Fellow; College of Commercial Arbitrators Fellow, NADN Appointee.
Named by the National Law Journal as one of the 25 ADR Trendsetters and Visionaries in the US. Also named to IAM 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists.

Articles/Publications

See website www.garybentonarbitration.com for full publications listing

Additional affiliations: CIArb, CCA, NADN, ICCA, IBA, ABA, CLA, SVAMC, iTechLaw, AIPLA.
Co-Chair of the California Lawyers Association (CLA) International ADR Committee.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation.

Additional Services

Dispute Resolution Consulting; Dispute System Design.

Specialty Areas

Business; Commercial; Employment; Entertainment - IP; Technology; Construction; Real Estate; Law Practice Disputes; Insurance Coverage; Partnership Disputes; International Commercial Arbitration.

ADR Experience/Training

Vice President and Managing Director of JAMS' Arbitration Practice; Conducted over 1,900 arbitrations and mediations before all major administering institutions (domestically and internationally); Former Chair of the Dispute Resolution Section of the ABA; Founding President of the College of Commercial Arbitrators; Served as ABA's Advisor to the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act; Frequent trainer and lecturer on arbitration and mediation topics

Education

J.D., University of Southern California (USC); A.B., University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

Affiliations

Member of Advisory Board of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration; Board Member of California Dispute Resolution Council & Western Justice Center; Past President of LACBA and Legal Aid Foundation; Member of the following panels: (1) Hong Kong International Arbitration Center; (2) Beijing Arbitration Commission; (3) JAMS/Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration; (4) Japan Commercial Arbitration Association; (5) Korean International Arbitration Board; (6) Asian International Arbitration Centre; (7) Chicago International Dispute Resolution Association (CIDRA)

Honors/Awards

Lawyer of the Year for Arbitration, Best Lawyers (2016, 2020); "Best Lawyers in America," Best Lawyers (2005-2016, 2020); "Champion of Justice" Award, Western Justice Center (2019); "ADR Champion," National Law Journal (2016-2018); Los Angeles ADR Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers (2011, 2015); Los Angeles Mediation Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers (2013); Leader Among World's Commercial Arbitration Specialists, Global Arbitration Review (2013); Top California Neutral, Daily Journal (2003, 2006-2010, 2012)

Articles/Publications

Author of monthly ADR Practitioner column in Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal; "California is missing out on international arbitration business," Co-Author, Daily Journal (2018); "Resolve large fee disputes effectively," Co-Author, Daily Journal (2017); "Making Arbitration Work: Best Practices," Co-Author, Bar Bulletin (2016); "Witnesses in Arbitration - California Arbitration Act (Parts I & 11)," Author, Law.com (2015, 2016); "Enforcing Arbitration Agreements: The Choice of Procedural Law," Author, Law.com (2015); "First Things First: Design the Arbitration Process You Want," Author, Law.com (2015); "The Mediator as Process Designer," Author, Law.com (2014); "Reimagining Arbitration," Author, Law.com (2014); "Selecting Party Arbitrators," Author, ABTL Los Angeles (2014); "A Primer on Arbitrability," Author, Law.com (2014); "Expediting Arbitration," Co-Author, Just Resolutions (2012); "Reimagining Arbitration," Co-Author, ABA Litigation Journal, Volume 37, Number 4, Summer 2011; "The Search for Cost Effective and Efficient International Commercial Arbitration: There is a Solution," Co-Author, International Comparative Legal Guide to International Arbitration (2011).