Mediator Resume

Litigation and trial attorney from 1988 through 2022, representing individuals, corporations and partnerships, employees and employers, wealth management firms, financial advisors, investors, developers, and municipalities. With broad litigation and trial experience, has managed hundreds of cases and now dedicates practice to serving as a Mediator and Arbitrator in the areas of Employment, Business and Real Estate Law, as well as Attorney Malpractice matters. Also provides executive conflict resolution services and discovery referee services.

Eskridge Law and Mediation – Arbitrator/Mediator

Arbitrator and Mediator (and former litigator)

Principal Attorney, Eskridge Law, 1997 - Present; Associate Attorney, Hornberger & Criswell, 1996 - 1997; Litigation Attorney, Title Recon Tracking Inc., 1995; Associate Attorney, Goode & Peterson, 1993 - 1994; Associate Attorney, William F. Woods P.C., 1989 - 1993; Associate Attorney, Coppo & Cosgrove, 1988 - 1989.

Attorney in private practice from 1988 through 2022, and also worked as an arbitrator and mediator since 2002. Currently working full time as an arbitrator and mediator. Matters handled as an attorney, arbitrator, and/or mediator include: EMPLOYMENT LAW Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) (based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, reproductive health decisionmaking, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or veteran or military status) California Family Rights Act (CFRA) and federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Whistleblower Labor Code violations – meal period, rest period, overtime pay, minimum wage, failure to pay all wages earned, violation of California Equal Pay Act, and Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) Wrongful termination Public policy violation – termination or adverse employment action Exempt/non-exempt misclassification Employee/independent contractor misclassification Breach of implied or express contract Invasion of privacy Defamation – libel and slander REAL ESTATE LAW Purchase and sale of residential, commercial, or raw (undeveloped) land Breach of contract Determination of fair market rental value of commercial property Unilateral mistake and mutual mistake Specific performance Broker malpractice and salesperson malpractice Failure to inspect and failure to disclose Fraud – concealment, intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, false promise, constructive fraud, internet fraud, and wire transfer fraud Promissory estoppel Property lines, boundary lines, and encroachments Easements – express, prescriptive, by necessity, and implied Adverse possession Ejectment View disputes (including tree disputes) Breach of fiduciary duty Unjust enrichment Contractor malpractice Escrow Grant deeds, deeds of trust, and reconveyances Specific performance Quiet title actions Partition actions Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act – homeowners association, Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs), and bylaws Commercial leases and residential leases (including force majeure clauses) Property management Breach of the right to quiet possession/quiet enjoyment Eminent domain BUSINESS LAW Breach of contract – written, oral, and implied Specific performance of contract Fraud – concealment, intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, false promise, and constructive fraud, internet fraud, wire transfer fraud Promissory estoppel Banking malpractice Conversion Common counts – money had and received, mistaken receipt, action for accounting Unjust enrichment Misuse and/or abuse of control Corporate waste Constructive trust Violation of the California Unfair Competition Law (UCL) Antitrust violations Violation of the Cartwright Act and Sherman Act, §§ 1 and 2 Violation of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act Violation of trade name protection law (trademark law) Breach of fiduciary duty, duty of care, and duty of loyalty Corporation, partnership, and limited liability company (LLCs) – formation, operation, sale, and dissolution Shareholders Shareholder derivative actions Negligent interference with prospective business advantage Conspiracy to induce breach of contract Trade libel Gray market importation OEM versus non-OEM law Automobile repair law Negligence and negligence per se Express and equitable indemnity FINRA issues ATTORNEY ETHICS Professional Responsibility Legal Malpractice EXECUTIVE CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Over the past 30+ years, mediated over 285 cases, including employment, business, real estate, and legal ethics/malpractice matters. Settled many cases while serving as a court-appointed mediator, Superior Court Settlement Officer, and Judge Pro Tem. Assisted parties in arriving at settlements involving everything from an apology to millions of dollars. Mediated cases involving multiple parties. Have also conduct executive conflict resolution and served as a discovery referee.

The employment matters mediated included harassment and discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, gender, age, and veteran or military status, termination or other adverse employment action in violation of public policy, breach of employment contract, whistleblowing, defamation, and all types of wage and hour issues (including PAGA), among other things. The real estate matters mediated included disputes between buyers and sellers, buyers suing home inspectors and termite inspectors, construction defect/breach of warranty cases, quiet title cases, actions for declaratory relief, neighbor disputes, property line disputes, easement disputes, tree/view disputes, claims against title insurance companies, landlord/tenant disputes involving commercial leases, and partition cases. The business litigation matters mediated included disputes involving purchase/sale of small businesses, partnership disputes, legal malpractice claims, FINRA claims, claims against contractors, auto leasing disputes, breach of contract cases, and lemon law cases, among other things. The attorney ethics matters mediated include client allegations of attorney malpractice. The cannabis matters include cases involving the purchase/sale of cannabis businesses, Los Angeles County Social Equity Program, and METRC access, among others.

My style is evaluative/facilitative. I do not bully or raise my voice. That style may work for some mediators, and with some parties, but that is definitely not my style. I have a much calmer and more respectful approach. I talk to each side about what happened, about how they feel about the situation, about what I see as the strengths and weaknesses of their case and the other party's case, and about the benefits of resolution versus continuing the fight. If a case does not settle during the mediation, I will follow up with phone calls and emails until the case settles or the attorneys tell me to stop. I am not a fan of starting mediations with a joint session. In my experience, opening with a joint session often puts the parties and attorneys into an adversarial, rather than a cooperative, state of mind, which is the opposite of what I want to achieve. I may conduct some type of joint session later in the mediation, however, if it makes sense under the circumstances.

Enjoy resolving discovery disputes and am experienced at handling disputes relating to e-discovery of all types. With the huge amount of electronically stored information which is involved in litigation today, skill in this area is practically mandatory for attorneys and arbitrators alike. Also knowledgeable regarding artificial intelligence (AI), including AI-generated and AI-analyzed evidence.

National University (J.D. - 1988); University of Missouri (B.A. - 1982). Los Angeles County Bar Association Dispute Resolutions Services, Certificate in Mediation, 2002. Numerous MCLE classes.

Admitted to the State Bar of California, 1988. California Real Estate Broker's License, 1996.

Member of the American Arbitration Association Mediator and Arbitrator Panels (employment and commercial), a Professional Member of the Southern California Mediation Association, a Senior Mediator with Mediate.com, a member of the California Dispute Resolution Council, and a member of the Association of Attorney-Mediators. Currently is or has been a member of the American Bar Association, including the Dispute Resolution Section (1988 – present); the State Bar of California (1988 – present), including the Litigation Section (1988 – 2018) Labor and Employment Law Section (1994 – 2018), Real Property Law Section (1988 – 2018), and Business Law Section (2006 – 2018); California Lawyers Association (2018 – present) – including the Litigation Section (2018 – present), Labor and Employment Law Section (2018 – present), Real Property Section (2018 – present), and Business Law Section (2018 – present); the Los Angeles County Bar Association – including the Business Law, Real Property, Labor and Employment, and Litigation Sections (1994 – present), the Judicial Appointments Committee (2007 – 2011), and the Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee (2014 – 2023); the Sacramento County Bar Association – including member of the board of directors (2024 – 2025), the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section (currently on leadership committee), Labor and Employment Law Section (currently on leadership committee), Real Property Law Section (currently on leadership committee), Business Law Section, and Civil Litigation Section; the South Bay Bar Association (1994 – 2020); the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (2006 – 2018); the South Bay Women Lawyers Association (1997 – 2000); the California Employment Lawyers Association (2002 – 2020); the National Employment Lawyers Association (2002 – 2020); the American Association for Justice (2006 – 2020); the San Diego County Bar Association – including the Business & Corporate Law, Real Property Law, Labor and Employment Law, General Civil Litigation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Sections (1988 – 2015), and the Animal Law Section (1997 – 2015); and Lawyers Club of San Diego (1988-1994). While living in San Diego, Ms. Eskridge served the San Diego County Bar Association as Chair of the Civil Litigation Section (1990-1992) and as Editor of Dicta, The Lawyer’s Magazine (1990 – 1993).

Numerous Editor’s page columns for Dicta, The Lawyer’s Magazine; "Death of a Sole Practitioner: Planning for the Event and Administering the Aftermath," Los Angeles County Bar Update, November 2013; "Settlement Agreement Provisions That Purport to Restrict an Attorney’s Right to Practice Law," Los Angeles County Bar Update, March 2014; "Attorney’s Duty in Releasing Former Client’s File," Los Angeles County Bar Update, November 2014; "Attorneys Have a Duty to Adequately Communicate with Their Clients – No Excuses," Los Angeles County Bar Update, April 2015; "Preserving Former Clients’ Confidentiality in Successive Representation of Clients with Conflicts of Interest," Los Angeles County Bar Update, March 2014; "Attorney’s Duty in Releasing Former Client’s File," Los Angeles County Bar Update, November 2014; "Malpractice Action by One Client Destroys Attorney-Client Privilege of Jointly Represented Client," Los Angeles County Bar Update, June 2015; "Settlement Agreement Provisions Which Purport to Restrict an Attorney’s Right to Practice Law," Los Angeles County Bar Update, August 2016; "New Rules of Professional Conduct Include Much Broader Rule Regarding Civil Rights," Los Angeles County Bar Update, December 2018; "Out-of-State Attorneys Participating in Arbitrations in California: Duties of the Attorneys, Co-Counsel, Opposing Counsel, and Arbitrators," Los Angeles County Bar Update, November 2021, and Sacramento Lawyer, Vol. 2-2024; "Whose Money Is It – Attorney Duties Regarding Funds of ‘Other’ Persons," Los Angeles County Bar Update, May 2022; "Considerations and Potential Consequences of Becoming an Advocate-Witness," Los Angeles County Bar Update, November 2022; "Let's Get Naked (Mediation & Stripping Yourself of Preconceptions and Implicit Biases)," Sacramento Lawyer, Vol. 1-2024; "What Must You Report to the State Bar (Or Anyone Else) Regarding Your Professional Conduct and/or Discipline?" Los Angeles County Bar Update, May 2023 and Sacramento Lawyer, Vol. 1-2025.

Available for mediations and arbitrations – in person anywhere in California, or via videoconference. In Southern California, no charge for travel expenses within Los Angeles County. In Northern California, no charge for travel expenses within Sacramento County. (Never any charge for travel time -- anywhere in the USA.)

Hourly Rate: Not provided Daily Rate: $7,500.00 Study Rate: Not provided Cancellation: $1,000.00/Day Cancellation Period: 3 Days Comment: ALL-INCLUSIVE RATE: The daily rate includes preparing for and conducting the mediation, as well as follow-up. NO CHARGE FOR TRAVEL TIME FOR FULL DAY MEDIATIONS: The parties will not be charged for travel time anywhere in the United States, although travel and lodging costs will be charged for locations other than Los Angeles County and Sacramento County. For cancellations within three days of the mediation, there will be a $1,000 cancellation fee.

English

United States of America

Los Angeles, California