2024
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LicensingUser ReviewsMystery Shopping CallsOur goal is to connect people with the best local professionals. We scored San Francisco Mediators & Arbitrators on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.
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= Featured ProviderGriffiths Goyette is a Burlingame company and a "leading provider of alternative dispute resolution since 1993." The firm handles cases of civil disputes, litigation, business law, insurance, personal injury, professional liability, and other legal issues. The company has a 10 Avvo rating and is affiliated with the California Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.
(1)The Jaffe Law Firm is the San Francisco office of employment trial lawyer Stephen Jaffe, who has over 40 years of experience and represents "only employees, never employers." Practice areas include wrongful termination, unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment, and whistleblower retaliation. Mediation and arbitration services are also available for cases of employment law.
(8)Quadra & Coll is a San Francisco law firm representing individuals, businesses, and public entities. The firm handles complex litigation and class action cases and also offers alternative dispute resolution. Mediation services are available for divorce, child custody and support, and property division issues. Mediation fees are $4,000 per day for a single mediator and $7,000 per day for mediation led collaboratively by attorneys James Quadra and Rachel Coll.
(1)Lemmon Employment Law & Conflict Resolution is a San Francisco law firm established by Tracy Lemmon, who has over 15 years of civil litigation and over 20 years of mediation experience. The firm specializes in cases of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour violations. Ms. Lemmon's mediation style is "facilitative and evaluative," and she "strategically shares her knowledge with each side to move disputing parties toward resolution."
| Attorney Name | Bar Status | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Tracy Lemmon - Principal | Active | 27 yrs |
Goodman Neuman Hamilton is a San Francisco law firm representing Fortune 500 companies and other clients in civil litigation and appeals. Practice areas include commercial, employment, personal injury, construction, and class action litigation, as well as mediation, arbitration, and special master services. The firm's attorney Robert Hamilton uses mediation to reconcile differences between disputing parties and lead them towards settlement outside of court.
(1)(1)The Law Offices of A. Peter Rausch, Jr. in San Francisco provide legal services in the areas of business and commercial litigation, intellectual property, and general business counseling. Attorney A. Peter Rausch is also a trained mediator and can offer facilitative mediation services to resolve a variety of legal disputes outside the courtroom. The firm has additional offices in Lodi and Santa Cruz.
| Attorney Name | Bar Status | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Rausch - Principal | Active | 37 yrs |
| There FD - Stockton Personal Injury Lawyers - Admin | Active | 37 yrs |
Gordon Family Law is a San Francisco firm focusing on divorce, prenuptial agreements, collaborative divorce, estate planning, and adoption. Mediation services for divorce cases are available and can usually find resolution within four to six meetings over two to three months. A mediated divorce through the firm will usually cost between $4,000 and $10,000, including filing and miscellaneous fees.
| Attorney Name | Bar Status | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Amanda Gordon - Principal | Active | 12 yrs |
Jennifer Jackson is a collaborative and family law attorney and mediator in San Francisco. She has been a lawyer since 1985 and was named one of the top 100 lawyers in all areas of practice in Northern California by Super Lawyers. She practices alternative dispute resolution exclusively and is described as patient, poised, knowledgeable, and kind in client testimonials.
(5)Ernest Brown ADR is a San Francisco company offering national and international mediation, arbitration, dispute review board, and special master services. Mediation fees are $8,000 per day throughout the western US, including eight hours of preparation, travel, and a full day of mediation. Mr. Brown has resolved over 3,000 disputes and has 30 years of experience in the practice areas of construction law, aviation, insurance coverage, engineering and manufacturing, personal injury, and international law, among others.
Van Voorhis & Sosna is a San Francisco law firm specializing in divorce, same-sex dissolution, child custody, and premarital agreements. Attorney Sarah Van Voorhis is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a family law specialist and has been named a Northern California Super Lawyer or Rising Star every year consecutively since 2009. Divorce and custody mediation services are also available.
| Attorney Name | Bar Status | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Arnott - Partner | Active | 17 yrs |
| Margaret Dellegrotti - Senior Associate | Active | 14 yrs |
| Ariel Sosna - Founding Partner | Active | 17 yrs |
| Sarah anne Voorhis - Founding Partner | Active | 23 yrs |
Disclaimer: Consumers utilizing Expertise.com are free to communicate and contract with any lawyer they choose. Expertise.com is not involved in the confidential attorney-client relationship. Featured lawyers pay a reasonable advertising cost to market their legal services with Expertise.com and must meet similar selection criteria as other lawyers. All cases are different. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Mediation is an alternative to going to trial during legal disputes. The parties on both sides agree to work with an impartial third party who oversees discussions concerning the matter in dispute. The goal and hope of mediation is to come to a settlement or compromise that is agreeable to both parties. The mediator doesn't represent either party but works with both to help ensure that discussions are civil and agreements are as fair as possible given the situation. In many cases, if mediation fails, then the parties can move on to a trial in court.
Arbitration is another alternative to a court trial, but it's a bit more formal than mediation. During the arbitration, evidence and testimony is presented to a panel of people who act as judges of sorts. They issue an opinion about the matter in writing, and depending on how the arbitration was entered into, it may or may not be binding. If it's binding, the parties must accept and abide by the decisions of the arbitrators. Commonly, each side selects a third-party arbitrator, and each of those people selects a third person.
Arbitration and mediation both have pros and cons, and which one is right for you depends on your personal preferences, legal goals, and the details of your case. Mediation can offer more control, and because of that, those who go through it tend to report a higher level of satisfaction. But arbitration is more formal and may provide a more structured environment, which may be needed if civil discussions aren't possible.
If you can choose a mediator or arbitrator, it's critical to look for a neutral third party. Someone who is in any way tied to either side or who might have a known strong opinion on matters related to the case may not be the best option. Legal knowledge is important for mediators and arbitrators, but arbitrators should also have court experience. Retired or former judges or trial lawyers may be good choices for arbitrators, for example.
An arbitration agreement waives your right to seek legal remedies in court under certain circumstances, specifically, if you and the other party have unresolved disputes. You submit to binding arbitration over all matters, which can be somewhat risky as arbitration agreements are usually requested by companies that have arbitration processes set up, and those processes may not be impartial.
Mandatory arbitration occurs when someone is forced to use arbitration as a means of settling an issue. One of the most common scenarios for this is employment. Employers may require that employees sign an arbitration agreement before they can begin work. The employees then give up some rights to go to court over certain employment issues.
During a child custody mediation, the mediator will likely encourage each party to focus on the needs of the child or children. The parties work together to agree on custody. They typically won't discuss matters of child support, marital property, or other factors of the divorce—unless the mediation is for the whole divorce. If you are attending mediation, it is advised to come prepared to discuss what's in the best interest of your children and situation, but also be prepared to reach a compromise.
