Mediator Resume

California-licensed attorney with over 15 years of concentrated family law experience encompassing divorce, custody, support, and complex property division. Certified mediator with a practice spanning thirty mediations in family law disputes, achieving a fifty-percent full-settlement rate. Background includes engineering experience at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Raytheon prior to legal career, bringing analytical rigor and structured problem-solving to every mediation. Founder and CEO of a multi-office California law firm serving clients across Los Angeles, Monterey Park, Irvine, and Pasadena. Published author on family law and professional empowerment topics. Currently serving as Mayor of Monterey Park, California.

Attorney, Mediator, Elected Official

Mayor, City of Monterey Park, 2025-Present; Mayor Pro Tem, City of Monterey Park, 2024-2025; CEO and Founder, Yang Law Offices, 2016-Present; Co-Founder, OptiNizers, 2023-Present; Partner and Co-Founder, Yang & Wang P.C., 2011-2016; Associate Attorney, Adli Law Group P.C., 2010-2011; Associate Attorney, Howrey LLP, 2007-2010; Senior Electrical Engineer, Raytheon, 2003-2007; Engineering Intern, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory / California Institute of Technology, 2002.

FAMILY LAW EXPERIENCE Over 15 years of dedicated California family law practice encompassing the full range of dissolution, custody, support, and property matters. Extensive experience representing parties in high-conflict custody disputes involving complex parenting arrangements, move-away requests, and allegations of parental alienation. Regularly handles cases involving the division of complex marital estates, including business valuation, real property portfolios, stock options, deferred compensation, and retirement accounts under California community property law. Deep familiarity with spousal and child support calculations, including cases involving self-employment income, variable compensation structures, and deviation requests. Experienced in drafting and negotiating prenuptial and postnuptial agreements addressing separate property characterization, support waivers, and business protection provisions. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY EXPERIENCE Several years of practice in patent litigation, patent prosecution, trademark litigation, trademark prosecution, and copyright litigation. Handled matters involving technologies such as fingerprinting sensors, variable data printers, automated telephonic systems, microprocessors, and telecommunications equipment. Successfully filed numerous patents and trademarks for clients across a range of industries. CIVIL LITIGATION EXPERIENCE Broad civil litigation practice encompassing business disputes, personal injury, mass torts, and estate planning matters. Experience managing complex multi-party litigation and coordinating with co-counsel in large-scale actions. ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE Prior to legal career, over five years of electrical engineering experience in the defense and aerospace sectors. Led the design of the Power Management Module for a major military radar modernization program, resulting in a $3.2 million award fee. Filed a utility patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for an active array design. Worked on the main control unit of a planetary exploration rover. This technical background informs a detail-oriented, analytical approach to complex legal and financial matters encountered in mediation.

Certified mediator since 2016 with a practice focused on California family law disputes. Served as mediator in thirty family law matters, including high-conflict custody disputes, complex asset division, spousal and child support negotiations, and multi-issue divorce settlements. Fifteen of these mediations resulted in full settlement, reflecting a fifty-percent resolution rate. Mediation experience spans cases involving significant marital estates with business interests, real property holdings, and retirement assets requiring forensic accounting and valuation expertise. Handled custody mediations involving allegations of domestic violence, substance abuse, parental alienation, and relocation disputes, applying trauma-informed techniques to facilitate productive dialogue between deeply adversarial parties. Experience mediating multi-party disputes involving extended family members, stepparents, and grandparent visitation rights. Familiar with cases involving parties from diverse cultural backgrounds, including bilingual (English and Mandarin Chinese) mediation settings. Regularly retained by parties and counsel based on reputation for creating a structured yet empathetic environment that enables even highly contentious parties to engage productively and reach durable agreements serving the long-term interests of all family members, particularly children.

Child custody and visitation schedules, including sole versus joint custody arrangements and supervised visitation modifications. Parenting plan disputes involving disagreements over education, religion, extracurricular activities, and medical decision-making authority. Move-away and relocation requests by custodial parents. Division of community property estates involving business interests, professional practices, and closely held entities requiring valuation. Characterization disputes involving commingled assets, separate property tracing, and transmutation claims. Division of real property portfolios, including the family residence, rental properties, and out-of-state holdings. Division of retirement accounts, pensions, stock options, restricted stock units, and deferred compensation plans. Spousal support disputes, including determinations of amount, duration, and step-down provisions. Child support calculations involving self-employment income, variable bonuses, and imputation of income to an underemployed party. Prenuptial and postnuptial agreement enforcement disputes. Disputes involving allegations of domestic violence and their impact on custody and support determinations. Allocation of marital debts, including business liabilities, tax obligations, and student loan responsibilities. Attorney fee contribution disputes.

Pre-mediation briefs are requested from all parties in advance of the session to ensure thorough preparation and familiarity with the core issues, financial disclosures, and any pending court orders. Each mediation begins with a joint opening session where each party has the opportunity to summarize the nature of the dispute and identify priorities. From there, the process typically transitions to private caucus sessions to explore interests, test proposals, and address emotional barriers to resolution in a confidential setting. I blend facilitative and evaluative techniques depending on the needs of the parties and the stage of the mediation. In early sessions, the focus is on building rapport, clarifying interests, and reframing positions into shared goals. Where parties reach impasse, I am prepared to offer a neutral case assessment or reality-testing when requested or when it appears that doing so will assist with resolution, always respecting party autonomy. I place particular emphasis on creating a safe, structured environment for high-conflict family matters. Many family law mediations involve significant power imbalances, emotional distress, or histories of domestic violence. I employ screening protocols and, where appropriate, conduct the entire mediation in caucus format to ensure the safety and comfort of all participants. The goal in every mediation is a durable agreement that serves the long-term interests of the family, with particular attention to the well-being of children. I view the mediator's role as a facilitator of informed decision-making rather than an imposed outcome. I am experienced in conducting mediations virtually and in person and am comfortable managing multi-session mediations for complex matters.

Experienced in conducting virtual mediations using Zoom, including management of breakout rooms for private caucus sessions, screen sharing for document review, and waiting rooms for party management. Comfortable conducting mediations via other major videoconferencing platforms as needed. Proficient in legal practice management software, document management systems, and electronic case filing. Familiar with financial analysis tools used in family law matters, including support calculation software and asset valuation spreadsheets.

University of La Verne (MA, Business Administration - 2007); University of La Verne College of Law (J.D., cum laude - 2006; University of California, Berkeley (B.S., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - 2002).

Admitted to the Bar: California. Certified Mediator, Los Angeles County Bar Association (2016).

Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association; National Association of Asian American Professionals; Monterey Park Women's Club; Asian Youth Center, Board Member.

Author, "Stress-Free Divorce" (published book on navigating California divorce proceedings). Author, "Social Marriage" (published book advocating for civil contract alternatives to traditional legal marriage). Author, "Asian Women Who Boss Up" (published book on professional empowerment). Co-Author, "The Big Secret" with Jack Canfield (published book on professional success strategies). Author, "The Authorities: Powerful Wisdom from Leaders in the Field." Author, "Women in the Modern Business World." Regular speaker on topics related to California family law, mediation best practices, and alternative dispute resolution at legal conferences and professional associations.

Hourly Rate: $650.00 Daily Rate: Not provided Study Rate: $650.00/hr Cancellation: Not provided Cancellation Period: Not provided Comment:

Chinese; English

United States of America

South Pasadena, California