Mediation
Experience and Fairness
I have been practicing personal injury and insurance law in the same counties where you practice for nearly 30 years. Although the majority of my work is in the area of insurance defense, I have also represented plaintiffs in cases filed throughout California. In 2013, I was a nominee for Ventura County Trial Attorney of the Year. The next year, I won the award. My up-to-date and diverse experience in representing litigants on both sides throughout California gives me a distinct advantage in helping you settle your case.
Many of today’s popular mediators have limited trial experience representing both sides, and are out of touch with the current nuances of litigation. Let’s face it, settlement values have changed and the diverse field of experts available to both sides has grown. I hire, oppose, and depose many of the same experts retained by both sides in many of your cases. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your case (and your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses) is instrumental for a successful mediation. Insurance defense counsel and their adjusters trust and value my opinion because I have successfully defended over 30 defendants to favorable verdicts at trial. Consumer attorneys respect my opinion because I have also represented plaintiffs.
I hope that you have seen and value my experience and fairness during the cases we have litigated together. Besides my extensive litigation experience, I am also on the panel of settlement officers at Ventura County Superior Court and have a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the distinguished Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law.
Cost and Convenience
We have a duty to our clients to save them money when we are able to do so. Currently, most mediators charge an administrative fee of around $400. While there are administrative costs involved, my administrative fee is $100 per side. Many of the current mediators charge $600 to more than $800 per hour for a 4 hour mediation, and they tack on another hour to read your briefs. By the time you add it up (administrative fee, brief reading time, and the 4 hour half day fee), the cost usually exceeds $3,000 to mediate for 4 hours. My hourly fee is $450 per hour for a 4 hour mediation and the brief reading time will cost you nothing.
My total charge for a four hour mediation is $2,000 which includes the administrative fee, all travel time, and follow up work after the mediation which may be needed to settle your case.
I continue to practice law in conjunction with my mediation practice. I will provide you with a conflict check on every case. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions about my mediation practice. If you want to schedule a mediation, please contact my assistant, Maren (maren@slacklegal.com), and we will provide you with availability and locations for your next mediation. We understand that many attorneys and litigants prefer Zoom mediation and we are equipped to do Zoom mediations or in person mediations. I look forward to helping you bring your next case to a successful resolution.