William James O'Connor

I have conducted several hundred mediations, court-sponsored settlement conferences and privately retained ADR cases. Most have been a variety of civil legal disputes, mainly, Personal Injury, Business, Construction Defect, and Real Estate Matters.

I originally worked with the Superior Court in San Francisco as a court Mediator and as a part-timeCommissioner/Judge. I have substantial, specific, professional Mediation training. I belong to the San Francisco Bar Association and the Marin County Bar Association and am a member of their respective ADR Sections. I have been accepted to the Mediation/ADR panels of San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, Solano, and Sonoma County Superior Courts.

In recent years, I have expanded my practice into the area of Probate, Wills, Trust and Estate and Conservatorship Contests. I have become experienced in these matters, successfully resolving more than 45 of them, and now work in that field mainly, while still accepting other civil litigation cases for mediation and arbitration. For the past eight years I have also served as a special neutral in Kaiser medical malpractice Arbitrations throughout California.

I am effective, experienced, and successful in my ADR activities. I have found a great deal of professional and personal satisfaction in this type of work, which although very demanding, also results in resolution of conflict, the reduction of time and expense and sometimes even reconciliation among litigants.

 SERVICES OFFERED

I do not limit my approach to specific techniques often described as Transformational or Evaluative or Directive. Individual cases, the needs and personalities of parties and the dynamics of the mediation require flexibility. Patience and respect, understanding of thesubject matter, and willingness to let the parties shape the outcome are important. Whenappropriate, I will be more evaluative and directive, if it is in the best interests of all.

If required to travel outside the Bay Area, actual travel time and expenses are charged. A mutually shared deposit based upon the estimated length of the mediation is required inadvance. I conduct an initial organizational phone conference call (except in Arbitration matters, which are handled more as a Court Trial with the same rules of ex-parte contact as apply to trial); and also a confidential, pre-mediation conference call to prepare myself andcounsel to learn more about the needs of the parties. This has proven to be extremely productive. In litigated cases, I also look for a simple letter or e-mail brief describing the legal and procedural issues.

 Convenient Mediation facilities with break-out offices and support services available in Marin County near the Superior Court, close to freeway access.  Also in Santa Rosa for Sonoma County. Spanish language capability also available when necessary.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM COURT AND COUNSEL

…I have known Mr. O’Connor for many years and in addition to honesty and integrity, he brings a sharp mind and keen settlement skills to his work for the Court….He works hard and stays late exhausting all possibilities of mediating hard cases, which other Judges and attorneys have been unable to do. He has the respect of attorneys and litigators with whom he works and has been a great help to me and the Courts.”

Albert Cantelli, Presiding Judge Superior Court (Ret.)- SF    

“…thank you very much, I was not optimistic about the prospects of this case settling; I don’t believe it would have resolved without your intervention. I regret that I was unable to sit in because I suspect I would have learned a great deal from watching how you achieved your results…I look forward to working with you in the future…”

Verna Adams, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court, Marin County