Mediator Resume

Over 20 years as civil independent calendar judge involving all cases in general civil litigation, including complex cases such as California statewide coordinated tobacco class actions and natural gas anti-trust cases. Two years of service as assigned judge on California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One. Seven years service as full time mediator, arbitrator, discovery referee and special master. Served as a special master/discovery referee in San Diego Superior Court, Orange County Superior Court, Los Angeles County Superior Court and U.S. District Court for Southern District of California, including highly publicized cases of great public interest.

Arbitrator, Mediator, Discovery Referee, Retired Judge

Independent Arbitrator/Mediator/Discovery Referee, 2017 - Present; Assigned Judge, California Court of Appeal, 2015 - 2016; Judge, San Diego Superior Court, 1989 - 2015; Judge, El Cajon Municipal Court 1988 - 1989; Chief Prosecutor, Attorney General's Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Patient Abuse, State of California, 1987 - 1988; Deputy Attorney General, State of California, 1980 - 1986; Counsel Enforcement Division, California Fair Political Practices Commission 1979 - 1980; Deputy District Attorney, San Diego County District Attorney's Office, 1970 - 1979.

Twenty nine years judicial experience consisting of over 22 years handing civil litigation exclusively, including the most complex civil trial work, such as the Statewide Coordinated Tobacco Class Actions and Natural Gas Anti-Trust cases. Served as an assigned judges approximately two years on the California Court of Appeal authoring eight published civil cases. Most recent experience consists of more than six years of full-time employment as a mediator, arbitrator and special master with emphasis on employment, business and real estate matters, as well as personal injury cases. Other areas of concentration include maritime cases and landslide cases. More mediation and arbitration efforts devoted to employment arbitrations and mediations rather than any other single category of cases. Employment law work has encompassed more than 100 individual cases, PAGA cases and class actions. Chosen as arbitrator in many cases, including a half-dozen that resulted in arbitration hearings resulting in issuance of arbitration awards. Facilitated settlement in the vast majority of employment cases mediated, often utilizing mediator's proposals.

Eight years service as full-time as a mediator, arbitrator and discovery referee after many years judicial service with emphasis on civil litigation. Extensive mediation experience as private mediator including hundreds of successfully mediated cases in the areas of employment law, including class actions, personal injury, business litigation, maritime law, landslide cases, and construction defect cases.

Employment law, including class actions; Personal injury, including uninsured and uninsured motorist cases; Commercial litigation; Real estate disputes; Maritime cases; Landslide cases; Construction defect.

Careful preparation for each mediation, including review of mediation briefs and pre-mediation conference with each attorney whenever possible. Pragmatic approach tailored to suit each mediation and the participating parties. Getting to know each of the parties on a personal level during mediation, to provide an understanding of each party's view of the controversy being mediated and to open up areas of common experience with the mediator to build rapport. Identification of goals of each party to facilitate resolution. Utilization of variety of techniques to reach closure at mediation, starting with facilitative approach. Also use of evaluative approach after exhaustion of other settlement avenues. Facilitation of settlement based on mediators identification of a "sweet spot," meaning a little more than the defendant wants to pay and a little less than the plaintiff had hoped to receive. Helping the parties to appreciate the risks and expenses of further litigation, such that each side independently decides that this agreed upon settlement is better than continued expense and uncertainty of litigation. Intelligent use of a mediator's proposal, when appropriate, to reach final resolution of case, especially when it appears that each side will likely accept. Conscientious follow up for cases not settling at mediation to reach final resolution.

Frequent use of Zoom for mediations and arbitrations. Experienced handling eDiscovery matters.

University of Southern California Gould School of Law (JD) Pomona College (BA).

Admitted to the Bar: California

San Diego County

Hourly Rate: $1,200.00 Daily Rate: Not provided Study Rate: $1,200.00/hr Cancellation: $12,000.00/Day Cancellation Period: 45 Days Comment:

English

United States of America

San Diego, California