Mediator Resume

Highly experienced neutral with more than three decades of service as an arbitrator, mediator, hearing officer, and court-appointed neutral in complex disputes. Brings a rare combination of deep subject-matter expertise and procedural leadership across healthcare, employment, consumer, energy, technology, financial services, and commercial matters, including mass and coordinated proceedings. Known for effective case management of high-stakes, multiparty, expedited, and emergency matters, informed by substantial prior experience as a trial attorney, managing partner, and advisor. Trusted to handle disputes involving significant complexity, volume, and regulatory overlay with efficiency, rigor, and clarity.

Sperow ADR Services, APC Full-time global Arbitrator and Mediator, Hearing Officer, Dispute Resolution Board member, and Court-Appointed Neutral

Third-Party Neutral, Special Master, Hearing Officer, Arbitrator, Mediator, Court-Appointed Neutral, Dispute Resolution Board Member; Judge Pro Tem; Workplace Investigator; Attorney

Full-time Neutral, Sperow ADR Services, APC, 2017 - Present; Court-Appointed Neutral/Special Master, 2021 - Present; Judge Pro Tem, San Diego Superior Court, 2018 - 2025; Mediator, San Diego Superior Court, 2018- Present; Court-Appointed Neutral, San Diego Superior Court, 2018-Present; Hearing Officer, Port of San Diego, 2020 - 2023; Chair of Panel for 2023-2025 Term; Hearing Officer, City & County of Los Angeles, 2022 - 2023; Hearing Officer, City & County of San Francisco, 1997, 2021 - 2022, 2023-2024, & 2025-2026 Terms; Hearing Officer, City of Oakland, 2023-Present; Managing Partner, Head of Litigation & ADR, Ruiz & Sperow LLP, 1995 - 2018; Chair & Panelist, FINRA 1999-2025; Adjunct Professor of Law, University of San Diego, 2007 - 2017; Instructor/Director of Writing Skills Program, University of San Diego, 2004 - 2007; Trial Attorney, Morrison & Foerster LLP, 1987 - 1994; Federal Judicial Law Clerk for Hon. Richard J. Cardamone, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1986 - 1987; New York; and Federal Judicial Extern for Hon J Clifford Wallace, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit San Diego, 1986.

Extensive professional experience as a trial attorney, managing partner, and advisor prior to serving full time as a neutral. Former trial attorney with Morrison & Foerster, a large international law firm, representing clients in complex commercial, employment, intellectual property, healthcare, energy, antitrust, financial services, and technology matters in state and federal courts. Experience included breach of contract, fraud, unfair competition, trade secret misappropriation, antitrust, regulatory, and high-stakes employment litigation, including class and collective actions. Work included both plaintiff and defense class litigation. Helped defend to successful global resolution then largest Title VII class action, involving 1,093 claimants and over $2 billion exposure. As plaintiff, won multi-million-dollar jury verdict in distributor fraud case. Represented a class against the local utility co. for antitrust and CPUC violations and lead counsel for alternative energy producers in their successful $100 million breach of contract and fraud suit against the utility. Subsequently served as Managing Partner and Head of Litigation and ADR at a woman-owned, minority-owned, disabled-owned law firm, representing public and private sector employers, employees, utilities, healthcare entities, educational institutions, and commercial enterprises. Handled all facets of employment and labor law, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, misclassification, disability accommodation, leave laws, whistleblower claims, and workplace investigations. Conducted and supervised hundreds of workplace investigations, resulting in written findings and reports to executive leadership and governing bodies. Advised and represented public agencies and regulated entities in matters involving utilities, energy procurement, regulatory compliance, government contracts, and complex commercial disputes. Served as Judge Pro Tem and court-appointed neutral in trial courts, presiding over civil, employment, and consumer matters. Academic experience includes service as adjunct professor of law and director of legal writing programs.

Mediator for more than 35 years in all commercial, employment, class action, mass claims, consumer, securities, financial, and life science disputes. Court-appointed mediator through the San Diego Superior Court for all civil matters since 2018. Also appointed as probate court mediator on an as needed basis, often at the request of the fiduciary. Have handled sensitive sexual harassment claims for celebrities and Title IX claims for universities. Trained mediator for the San Diego Superior Court and serve on mediation panel for the court. Serving on the panel requires annual mediation training as CLE. Also served as Judge Pro Tem for same court which also requires mediation training (among others) from 2018-2025. Title IX-specific mediation training; employment-specific mediation training; online mediation training; cross-cultural mediation training; trade secret case mediation training.

Business and partnership disputes, contract and risk allocation disputes, sexual harassment and all discrimination claims, wage and hour claims, PAGA, class actions, mass claims, insurance coverage claims, exempt status and misclassification claims, public works disputes, employment, staffing agency, and international staffing disputes, probate and estate disputes, insurance and warranty claims, indemnification and apportionment claims, unfair competition, good faith & fair dealing, and consumer claims, consumer class actions, and many more.

I vary styles depending on the type of case and participants. With insurance carriers and business disputes, risk assessment analysis and decision tree techniques can be very productive, while in employment, discrimination, and harassment cases, interest-based and transformative styles often work more effectively. I use a collaborative, creative, and facilitative approach based upon common ground and mutual-gain negotiation. I prepare thoroughly, usually conferencing with each party separately before the mediation session to learn more and build rapport and analyzing mediation briefs and positions. I try to understand the party dynamics, personalities, and decisionmaker goals. I work hard to build trust – in the process, in the possibility of resolution, in the mediator, and ultimately in the resolution reached by the parties. I strongly believe the parties control the process and will use any productive style to resolve the dispute. I will offer suggestions, evaluations, and even mediator proposals when requested. Otherwise, I follow the parties’ lead, while paving a patient, yet tenacious path forward to bridging the gaps.

Familiar with and proficient in conducting hearings and conferences in virtual, hybrid, and in-person formats. Regularly conduct proceedings via videoconference and teleconference and is proficient in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx. Willing and able to conduct hearings on counsel’s preferred platform. Experienced in fully electronic exhibit exchange and management, including use of dual-monitor setups for simultaneous witness testimony and document review. Knowledgeable in managing electronically stored information (ESI) and related issues, including electronic document exchange and review. Familiar with responsible use of generative AI tools to support efficiency and cost management while maintaining independent judgment and decision-making. Comfortable operating in paperless environments and maximizing technology to support efficient, organized proceedings.

University of California, San Francisco Law (formerly UCSF, Hastings College of the Law) (JD, summa cum laude, Order of the Coif - 1986); University of California at Berkeley (BA, magna cum laude with high honors - 1982).

Admitted to the Bar: California (1986). Certified Dispute Resolution Board Member Certified Early Resolution Neutral

Member, Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals (ACAN); Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb); Member, Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (DRBF); Arbitrator, Member, & Neutral, Dispute Resolution Boards, Cal Trans (California Dept of Transportation); Arbitrator, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and United States Council for International Business (USCIB); Arbitrator & Mediator, American Health Law Association Dispute Resolution Services (AHLA); Distinguished Neutral, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (NADN), National and California chapters; Certified Neutral, Early Dispute Resolution; Member, Early Dispute Resolution Institute; Panelist, International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR); Certified, Business Relationship Facilitator, CPR; Member, American Bar Association (ABA), ABA Dispute Resolution Section, ABA Business Law Section, ABA Employment Law Section; ABA Health Law Section; and Women Rainmakers; Member, International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP); Member, California State Bar; Member, Arbitral Women; Board Member, Federal Bar Association (FBA) Dispute Resolution Section; Arbitrator, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); Arbitrator, National Arbitration & Mediation Association (NAM); Arbitrator, National Futures Association (NFA); Arbitrator, Financial Industry Neutral Regulatory Authority (FINRA); Member, San Diego County Bar Association, Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Privacy & Cybersecurity, Entertainment Law, and Employment Sections; and Formerly: President of the National Association of the Women Lawyers (NAWL) Executive Board Member, Healthcare Committee Chair, and Treasurer, NAWL Second Vice-President of California Women Lawyers (CWL), Executive Committee, CWL Board of Governors Member, Healthcare Chair, and Educational Foundation Member, CWL Chair, California State Bar Litigation Section Education Committee Member, Law Practice Management Section and Women Rainmakers Group, ABA Member, San Diego Chamber of Commerce Business Roundtable.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS: "Arbitrating in the Gig Economy," AAA, Dispute Resolution Journal, 2023, Vol. 76, No. 4. “Navigating Risks in FDA’s New Digital Health Tech Guidance,” Law360 Newsletter, Expert Analysis, 3/15/22. “Increased Mobile Health Triggers Increased FTC Enforcement,” Federal Bar Assn, Federal Lawyer, 1/22 Issue. “Time to Restore Arbitration’s Promise of Efficiency for All,” Law360 Newsletter, Expert Analysis, 10/6/21. “Nonparty Discovery in US Arbitrations: The Legal Challenges & Differences from Litigation,” Arbitral Women, Issue 46, 7/21. “The Benefits of Dispute Prevention” AAA, Dispute Resolution Journal, 2021, Volume 75, No. 3. “What to Know When Making Dispositive Motions in Arbitration,” Law360 Newsletter, Expert Analysis, 9/10/20. RECENT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS: Moderator & Presenter, The Role of the Process Arbitrator, Mass Arb Conference, Jan. 13-14, 2025. Presenter, Mass Claims Arbitrations, Epic’s Mass & Class 2024 Conference, April 4-6, 2024. “Making It Happen: ACAN Faces 2024 Dispute Trends,” with co-presenters Judge Gail Andler, Deborah Greenspan & Tina Patterson, ACAN Annual Meeting, March 8, 2024. “Survive and Thrive Tech Arbitration,” 2023 Women of Legal Tech Summit, September 13, 2023. AAA Annual Conference, “Arbitrating in a Gig Economy,” 3/24/23. “Meeting the Moment: How Court Neutrals Can Help,” Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals, with Hon. Byrdsong, Hon. Trapp. & Julie Park, 3/11/23. San Diego County State Bar Assn, “Hot Topics in Arbitration: the 2022 Update,” 3/25/22. AAA, "New Developments in Third-Party Subpoenas," 3/9/22. CPR Annual Meeting, "Corporate Counsel Roundtable: How to Use Technology to Prevent Disputes & Minimize Risk," with in-house counsel from Microsoft, Bath & Body Works, General Dynamics, and Lotame, 3/2/22. AAA, Commercial Arbitrators, “Efficiency Tips for Arbitrators,” 9/8/21. ABA, DR Section, “Dispute Prevention and Clause Drafting,” 7/21/21. ABA, Arbitration Institute, “The Evidentiary Hearing,” 6/18/21. ABA, Arbitration Institute, “The All-Important Preliminary Hearing,” 6/14/21.

Globally available. San Diego Based. No charge for travel time.

Hourly Rate: Not provided Daily Rate: $8,000.00 Study Rate: $700.00/hr Cancellation: $8,000.00/Day Cancellation Period: 2 Days Comment: Compensation rates, established by the AAA, are set forth in the applicable Consumer Mediation Procedures.

English; French

United States of America

La Mesa, California