ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation; Special Master.

Specialty Areas

Early Neutral Evaluation; Private Judging;

Specialty Areas

Judicate West is one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services with a distinguished roster of proven neutrals, including retired state and federal court judges and attorney mediators and arbitrators from a variety of practice areas. Founded in 1993, the firm prides itself on delivering quality service through integrity, flexibility and a commitment to being the gold standard in alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Judicate West has offices in Santa Ana, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco.

ADR Services

Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Early Neutral Evaluator.

Specialty Areas

Labor and Employment; Civil Litigation; Wage and Hour; ADA Access; ERISA Benefits.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Court Discovery Facilitator/Referee; Private Judge; Parenting Coordinator.

Specialty Areas

Tree and Neighbor Law; Real Estate Disputes; Complex Commercial Issues; Construction; Land Use; Personal Injury; Insurance; Product Liability.

ADR Experience/Training

Initial training in 1990's at Pepperdine University's Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution & the Center for Mediation In Law; dozens of courses (training & teaching) since; neutral since 1996; Founder and Principal of Bonapart Resolution.

Education

JD, Boalt Hall, UC Berkeley, 1985; BA/BA, Poli Sci/Mass Comm, UC Berkeley, 1982.

Affiliations

Referee, facilitator & pro tem settlement judge in various jurisdictions.

Honors/Awards

Nominee Real Property Person of the Year - 2013.

Articles/Publications

Understanding Tree Law: A Handbook for Practitioners (Thomson Reuters 2014); dozens of articles on mediation and real property law.

ADR Services

Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Early Neutral Evaluation; Wage and Hour Class Actions; Training; Neutral Fact-Finding/Workplace Investigation.

Specialty Areas

Hundreds of successful mediations over the last decade, including: Business/Contract; Employment Discrimination and Harassment; Disability/ADA; Internal Workplace Claims; Partnership Disputes; Wrongful Termination/Retaliation; Wage and Hour; Landlord/Tenant; Probate/Will Contests.

ADR Services

Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Business; Employment.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Early Neutral Evaluation.

Specialty Areas

Employment; Business; Contract; Personal Injury.

ADR Services

Mediation; Special Master.

Specialty Areas

Personal Injury; Wrongful Death; Construction; Construction Defect; Maritime; Environmental; Products Liability; Commercial / Contracts / Transactions; Real Estate; Employment.

ADR Experience/Training

Mediating the Litigated Case Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law; Over 100 hours of one-on-one training with Charlotte Venner, SFTLA "Mediator of the Year"; "Drafting Effective Settlement Agreements" Ron Kelly; The Mediation Society 2013 Public Education Conference.

Education

Juris Doctorate, University of San Francisco School of Law, 1991; Bachelor of Arts, Science, Boston University, 1979; Engineering, Northeastern University, 1977.

Licenses/Certification

One-Man Submarines, Non-destructive Testing, Deep Sea Diving College of Oceaneering, Los Angeles CA
400 Ton Master's License, All Oceans, Republic of Panama.

Affiliations

California State Bar Association; California Dispute Resolution Council; Bar Association of San Francisco, ADR and Mediation Sections; Santa Clara County Bar Association, ADR Section; Marin County Bar Association ADR Section; Contra Costa County Bar Association, ADR Section; Solano County Bar Association, ADR Section; Sonoma County Bar Association, ADR Section.

Honors/Awards

Managing Editor University of San Francisco Maritime Law Journal 1991; Student Bar Association Award for Most Significant Contribution to the Character of the Law School Through Outstanding Service 1991; John Meehan Fellow (Recognition of a distinguished alumnus who has contributed to the growth and development of future lawyers by serving as a mentor to the profession). University Honors Research Grant, University of California at Santa Barbara. Allowed to complete degree in absentia, at U.C.S.B., Boston University.

Articles/Publications

Cultural Awareness in Mediation THE TRIAL LAWYER Magazine, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. "How Confidential Is Mediation Anyway?" PLAINTIFF MAGAZINE. Numerous other articles addressing Risk Management.

ADR Services

Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Auto and Homeowners Coverages; Commercial Liability and Property Damage; Commercial Litigation; E&O Coverages; Group and Individual Life; Health and Disability; Insurance Coverage of all types (commercial,
Individual and personal); Insurance Bad Faith; Medical and Legal Malpractice; Personal Injury.

ADR Experience/Training

Judge Pro Tern, 2000- Present, San Francisco Superior Court; Attended over 1000 mediations as client representative, mediated dozens of matters for BASF, court system and privately. Featured speaker/ panelists on 20+ CLE programs on Mediation including ADA Section of Dispute Resolution, Annual Spring Meeting on mediation techniques, BASF annual program on Mediation Advocacy and BASF Program in Mediation Ethics.

Education

J.D., UC Hastings, 1966;
A.B., Indiana University, 1961

Licenses/Certification

Certified in Civil Trial Law, Pretrial Trial Practice, National Board of Trial Advocacy, Fellow, American College of Board Certified Attorneys.

Affiliations

Charter Fellow, Litigation Council] of America Trial Lawyer Honorary. Life Member, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum; Platinum Member, The Verdict Club; Legends Society, Top Lawyer (Personal Injury); Elite Lawyers of America: "a.v." Rating, Martindale Hubbel; Member, California and Indiana Bars and various state and national professional and bar groups.

Honors/Awards

Northen California Super Lawyer since 2006

Articles/Publications

“Reaching the Settlement”, Author, "Negotiating and Setting Tort Cases", 2015-16 (3rd Edition), Thomson West Publishing Company, and the American Association for Justice; California Practice Guide; Bad Faith, Co- Author (The Rutter Group, 1986): Litigating Insurance Claims; Coverage, Bad Faith and Business Disputes (Wiley & Sons,1990).

ADR Services

Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Neutral Evaluations.

Specialty Areas

Personal Injury; Maritime; Uninsured Motorist; Medical Malpractice; Employment; Entertainment; Insurance Bad Faith; Probate/Trust; Real Estate; Public Entity Liability.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation; Special Master

ADR Services

Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Personal Injury/Wrongful Death, Employment, Product Liability, Medical Malpractice, Contract, Real Estate, Construction, Education, Discrimination.

ADR Experience/Training

Full-time mediator since 2007, after 19 years as AV-rated Litigator. Mediation training at Pepperdine Law School and with Steven Rosenberg (Basic and Advanced). Settled 97% of all cases to date.

Education

BS, Psychology, Santa Clara University, 1984; JD, Law, Santa Clara University, 1987.

Licenses/Certification

Mediation training at Pepperdine Law School (42 units); Mediation training with Steven Rosenberg (36 units); Advanced Mediation training with Steven Rosenberg (15 units).

Affiliations

BASF ADR Panel; CCCBA ADR Panel; Judge Pro Tem for State (OAH); CCC Bar Association; Bar Association of San Francisco; SFTLA.

Honors/Awards

Awarded Preeminent AV-Rating by Martindale-Hubbell; Listed as one of the "Top Bay Area Lawyers" in Bay Area Magazine (Jan / Feb 2006).

ADR Services

Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Judge Pro Tem; Settlement Conference Officer, Discovery Facilitator.

Specialty Areas

Personal Injury; Business; Real Estate; Construction; Employment; Consumer; Lemon Law; In Pro Per; Medical Malpractice; Landlord/Tenant.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation; Factfinding

Specialty Areas

Training

Specialty Areas

Labor; Employment; Discrimination/Sexual Harassment; Civil Rights; Education; Intra-Organizational; Women's Issues; Business; Commercial.

ADR Services

Mediation, Arbitration.

Specialty Areas

Neutral Evaluation.

Specialty Areas

Cross-Cultural Disputes; Business; Real Estate; Professional Malpractice; Contracts; Commercial; Employment; Personal Injury; Probate / Trust; Discrimination / Sexual Harassment.

ADR Experience/Training

Specialize in high emotional, cross-cultural disputes. Have mediated and arbitrated hundreds of cases in above specialty areas. Flexible approach. Respectful style. Willing to be evaluative, if appropriate. Training includes Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University, Symposium at Harvard Negotiation Project, Steve Rosenberg Advanced Training. Have been panelist on numerous ADR programs.

Education

LLB (Hons), Law, London University,1969.

Licenses/Certification

California Bar, 1976; Solicitor of the Supreme Courts of England and Wales, 1972.

Affiliations

Bar Associations of San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa; ADRNC; National and California Academies of Distinguished Neutrals; The Mediation Society.

Honors/Awards

State Bar of California; ADR Standing Committee; Executive Committee on Mandatory Fee Arbitration, 2010-2015.

Articles/Publications

Recognizing and Validating Diversity in Mediation, San Francisco Daily Journal, June 2012; "The High Cost of Failing to Prepare for Mediation", SFDJ, February 2012; "The Tail Wagging the Dog: Strategies for Settling Attorneys Fees - Driven Cases", SFDJ, February 2011; "Partition Actions Come in Many Shapes and Sizes", SFDJ, April 21, 2010; "Consider Mediating Fee Disputes Gracefully", SFDJ, November 11, 2013; "An Alternative Approach to Pre-Mediation Discovery" SFDJ, October 7, 2013.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation; Special Master.

Specialty Areas

Neutral Evaluation; Settlement Conferences; Conciliation; Fact finding Investigations; Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists; Ins. Code 2071 Appraisals.

Specialty Areas

Personal Injury/Wrongful Death; Business Commercial; Labor & Employment; Consumer-Lemon Law; Elder Care/Elder Abuse; Real Estate & Property; Product Liability; Premises Liability; Construction; Insurance Coverage.

ADR Experience/Training

40 years as Attorney; Extensive experience as professional mediator, arbitrator, neutral evaluator, since 1983, 441+ hours of in-depth training; Broad experience as an advocate, arbitrator in over 2,850+ hearings, mediator in over 4,300+ hearings; Certificates for Outstanding Contributions in delivery of ADR Services to Alameda County; Alameda County, Arbitrator Honor Roll (2002-2003); ADR website at www.adr-resolve.com.

Education

BA, cum laude, pre-Law, University of the Pacific, 1975; MBA, Saint Mary's College, 1981; JD (AmJur-Criminal and Labor & law review), California Western School of Law, 1978.

Licenses/Certification

California Bar, 1978; U.S. District Court, ND and ED Cal; Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit; U.S. Tax Court & U.S. Supreme Court.

Affiliations

Life Fellow, American Bar Foundation; Association For Conflict Resolution (ACR); Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Sonoma County Bar Associations; American Bar Association, Sections on Dispute Resolution; Director, Alameda County Bar Foundation, 1999-2002; Cal. Statewide Delegate, American Bar Association, 2002-2003; President, Alameda County Bar Association, 1998, and Director, 1994 - 1999; National Mediation Panel; NASD and NYSE past Arbitrator; Resolute Systems, Inc.

Honors/Awards

Distinguished Service Award, ACBA, 1993; Outstanding Attorney Volunteer Award, Volunteers in Parole, 2000; AV rated in Martindale-Hubbell; Rated 3 stars, Member www.mediate.com; President, Volunteer Legal Services Corporation, 1999 (Now Open Access).

Articles/Publications

Six Lead Law Review Articles Published.

ADR Services

Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Employment; Discrimination; Harassment; Retaliation; Partnership Disputes; Personal Injury; Business; Contracts.

ADR Experience/Training

Northern District of California Certified Mediation Training

Education

Certified Federal Mediator, Northern District of California

ADR Services

Mediation; Arbitration; Special Master.

Specialty Areas

Early Neutral Evaluation; Conciliation.

Specialty Areas

Real Estate; Employment / Labor; Construction Defect; Business / Commercial; Landlord / Tenant; Personal Injury; Fee Disputes; Homeowner Assoc.; Contracts; Mechanic's Liens.

ADR Experience/Training

Certified mediator since 2001 with over 70 hours of mediation specific training. Conducted over 200 mediations and settlement conferences with a very high percentage of cases resolved. Conducted two day mediation seminar for claims adjusters / executives in London, England, an ADR presenter for BASF's lunchtime speaker series and a call-in attorney for radio station KALW's call a mediator program.

Education

B.S., Economics, Santa Clara University, 1986; JD, University of San Francisco, 1989.

Licenses/Certification

California Bar, 1989; Washington Bar, 2003.

Affiliations

Alameda County Superior Court ADR panel member, Contra Costa Superior Court Early Mediation panel member, Bar Association of San Francisco panel member, Sacramento Superior Court ADR panel member, Santa Clara County ADR panel member.

Articles/Publications

Authored articles on mediation published by the San Francisco Daily Journal.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation; Special Master.

Specialty Areas

Early Neutral Evaluation.

Specialty Areas

Business; Civil Rights; Commercial; Discrimination/Sexual Harassment; Employment; Labor; Partnership Disputes; Personal Injury; Real Estate.

ADR Experience/Training

Over 300 Mediations since 1997. ADR Training: Comprehensive Training in Commercial Arbitration (2011); Mediation and Conflict Resolution Training (40 hours); ADR Applications, Inc. Mediation Training (40 hours); Northern District of California Mediation Training (20 hours); California Court of Appeals Mediation Training (16.75 hours).

Education

B.A., History, University of CA, Santa Cruz, 1974; M.A., History, Harvard University, 1977; J.D., University of CA Berkeley, 1982.

Licenses/Certification

California Bar.

Affiliations

The Mediation Society; ADR Committee, State Bar Litigation Section; ABA ADR Committee.

Honors/Awards

Northern California Super Lawyer 2009-2017; Order of the Coif, 1982.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Judge Pro Tem.

Specialty Areas

Employment; Personal Injury; Landlord Tenant; Common Interest Associations; Construction Injury; Premises Liability; Products Liability.

ADR Experience/Training

Superior Court Arbitrator and Mediator, Marin. Settlement Conference Panelist, San Francisco. Private Mediator.

Education

BA, Economics, UCSD, 1987; JD, Law, USD, 1990.

Licenses/Certification

California State Bar 1990.

Affiliations

Member, Counsel on Litigation Management; Member, Bar Association of San Francisco, and Marin County.

Honors/Awards

Northern California Super Lawyers List 2013-2019.

Articles/Publications

Editor, California Commercial Digest.

ADR Services

Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Business Disputes; Commercial; Contract; Employment; Wrongful Termination; Harassment/Discrimination; Wage & Hour; Partnership Disputes; Probate/Will Contests; Personal Injury.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Business Litigation; Employment; Insurance; Franchise; Commercial; Securities & Finance; Fee Disputes (Attorney-Client); Malpractice (Legal); Contracts.

ADR Experience/Training

I have been an arbitrator since 1974 and a mediator since 1994, full time beginning in 2001. I have mediated over 300 cases with a success rate of in excess of 90% and have been an arbitrator in about 150 cases, mostly as the sole arbitrator.

Education

BA, History, Rutgers University; LLB, Law, Rutgers University.

Licenses/Certification

Member of California, Wisconsin, and New Jersey bars.

Affiliations

Former President, California Dispute Resolution Council and The Mediation Society; Former Co-chair ABA Dispute Resolution Section Arbitration Committee; Board of Directors, College of Commercial Arbitrators and California International Arbitration Council, Former Chair and Vice Chair, State Bar Task Force on Complex Litigation.

Honors/Awards

Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Mediation, Mediation Society 2012.

Articles/Publications

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Mediation Confidentiality, Contra Costa Lawyer vol. 21, no. 3 (2008); "Collecting Attorney Fees in Arbitration", California Litigation Magazine vol. 22, no. 3 (2009) "Did I Arbitrate That?" Recent Developments in the Application of Arbitration Agreements", Contra Costa Lawyer (May 2017); Author of the annual updates of California ADR Law published by the State Bar Business Law Section; "The Cassel Decision: More Questions than Answers", California Litigation Magazine, vol. 24, no. 1 (2011); "Can Post-Award Searches Vacate Arbitration Awards?" California Litigation Magazine, vol 27. no. 1 (2014); "Failure to Pay Arbitrator's Fees" California Litigation Magazine, vol. 29, no. 3 (2016); "I Agreed to Arbitrate That?" Contra Costa Lawyer (2017); Co-editor, The Lawyers Guide to Drafting ADR Closures, published by the State Bar of California.

ADR Services

Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Civil Rights; Employment Disputes; Discrimination/Sexual Harassment; Personal Injury.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation.

Specialty Areas

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)

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Early Neutral Evaluation; Discovery Referee; Judge Pro Tempore.

Specialty Areas

Entertainment; Intellectual Property (copyright, trademark & publicity); Employment; Trade Secrets; Wine Law; Contracts; Real Estate; Corporate/Limited Liability Company Distputes; Personal Injury and other Tort Claims; Investment Disputes/Securities.

ADR Experience/Training

Serves on ADR panels of the Marin Superior Court, BASF Mediation Panel; American Arbitration Association Arbitration and Mediation Panels. Prior experience on the ADR Arbitration Panel of the US District Court, Northern District of California. Services as a panelist for BASF for mandatory fee arbitration matters. Private Arbitrations and Mediations. Mediation training includes 40 hours with Steve Rosenberg, training with California Lawyers for the Arts and annual CLEs. Arbitration Training, AAA University.

Education

J.D., Law, Golden Gate University, 1976; A.B., Sociology, University of California, Berkeley, 1970.

Affiliations

American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries; Bay Area Gastronomique Entertainment Lawyers Societé; International Association of Entertainment Lawyers; American Bar Association Intellectual Property Section; Bar Association of San Francisco Intellectual Property Section; California Lawyers for the Arts.

Articles/Publications

See www.idellfirm.com.

ADR Services

Arbitration; Mediation.

Specialty Areas

Fact Finding; Early Neutral Evaluation.

Specialty Areas

Employment; Labor; Business; ERISA; Civil Rights; Securities; Real Estate; Attorney Fee Disputes; Contracts; Personal Injury.

Education

BA, Washington University, St. Louis, 1976; JD, Law, U.C. Davis, 1979.

Honors/Awards

AV Rated - Preeminent.