Hon. Michael Marcus
MEDIATION and ARBITRATION EXPERIENCE
Judge Marcus has successfully mediated the following types of cases:
employment (including those involving class actions), commercial, legal malpractice, personal
injury, wrongful death, real property, premises liability, product
liability, construction defect, intellectual property, medical
malpractice, eminent domain, environmental/toxic tort, police misconduct
and civil rights. He has developed a reputation as a skilled,
knowledgeable, personable and forceful mediator.
Judge Marcus has arbitrated the following types of cases: employment,
commercial, real property, partnership, medical malpractice, professional liability,
personal injury, fee disputes and insurance coverage.
Judge Marcus also has education and experience in the home inspection
industry.
DISCOVERY REFEREE
Judge Marcus has been appointed by Judges of the Los
Angeles and Orange County Superior Courts to resolve discovery disputes.
SUMMARY OF LEGAL BACKGROUND
Judge Marcus brings an extremely broad legal background to mediation. He
was an experienced and successful trial lawyer, former law firm partner
and judge. Judge Marcus has taught at law schools, is a legal author and
bar leader, as well as an efficient and effective mediator and
arbitrator.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Professional liability including legal malpractice; employment issues;
complex litigation; business disputes; tort causes of action including
breach of fiduciary duty and fraud; legal ethics; fee disputes;
discovery disputes and evidence.
MEDIATION HONORS
Daily Journal Top 50 Neutral in California, 2009
Daily Journal Top 40 Neutral in California, 2007
Super Lawyer (Neutral), 2008 & 2009
EDUCATION
Legal: UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, California
1964 – 1967
Degree: JD
College: University of California, Berkeley
1962 – 1964
Degree: BA in Political Science
Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio
1960-1962
JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE
Judge of the State Bar Court, November 1995 – December 2001
Supervising Judge of the Hearing Department, November 2000 – December
2001
Assistant Supervising Judge of the Hearing Department, May 1996 –
October 2000
♦ In his 6 years on the State Bar Court, Judge Marcus presided over
approximately 160 trials involving such issues as breach of fiduciary
duty, fraud, conflicts of interest, the failure to perform competently,
misappropriation and client abandonment; wrote lengthy decisions
containing findings of fact and conclusions of law for each of the
trials and was involved in over 400 settlement conferences with a
settlement rate of about 95%.
LEGAL EXPERIENCE BEFORE JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT
Partner, Coleman & Marcus (1987 – 1995)
Los Angeles, California
Of Counsel, Sanger, Grayson, Givner & Booke (1985 – 1987)
Encino, California
Deputy District Attorney (1968 – 1985)
Office of the District Attorney
Los Angeles, California
PUBLICATIONS
Judge Marcus is a prolific writer who has written about mediation
tactics, mediation ethics, arbitration ethics, trial preparation, legal
ethics, prosecution discovery and the destruction of evidence for such
organizations as the State Bar of California, the California Continuing
Education of the Bar (CEB), the California District Attorneys
Association, the San Fernando Valley Bar Association and the California
Attorneys for Criminal Justice. He is also the author of Trial
Preparation for Prosecutors (3rd Edit.), Lexis Law Publishing 2010, and
has contracted with the West Group to write California Courtroom
Conduct: The Do’s and Don’ts of Litigation. Judge Marcus is also the
author of a popular series of monthly articles on “Mediation Messages”
and “Arbitration Insights.”
TEACHING AND LECTURING
Judge Marcus taught evidence at the USC Law Center and he has lectured
on legal ethics at the California State Bar’s annual meeting, to the
California Judge’s Association, for the CEB and at many prominent law
firms.
Judge Marcus has also been a member of the faculties at Southwestern
University School of Law, The National College of District Attorneys in
Columbia, South Carolina and was a clinical instructor at the UCLA
School of Law as well as an adjunct professor on trial skills at
Pepperdine University School of Law.
BAR ACTIVITIES
Member, Board of Governors, State Bar of California, elected 2007
Trustee, Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA), 1979-1980
Chair, Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee (LACBA),
2005-2006
Chair, Criminal Justice Section (LACBA), 1977-1978
Member, Conference of Delegates, 1968-1993
FORMAL ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION TRAINING
“Mediating the Litigated Case,” a 42 hour program offered by the Straus
Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law.
“Mediating Complex Construction Disputes,” an 18 hour program offered by
the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University
School of Law.
Law firms that have utilized Judge Marcus as a mediator and/or
arbitrator
Abdulaziz Grossbart & Rudman
Abrolat & Teren
Acker Kowalick & Whipple
Adorno & Yoss
Alpert Barr & Grant
Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan
Anderson McPharlin & Connors
Atkinson Andelson Loya Ruud & Romo
Ault Schonfeld Jordan & Munro
Baker & Daniels
Baker Keener & Nahra
Ballard Rosenberg Golper & Savitt
Barton Klugman & Oetting
Bate Peterson Deacon Zinn & Young
Berger Kahn Shafton Moss, et al.
Berman Berman & Berman
Bingham McCutchen
Bird Marella Boxer Wolpert, et al.
Black, Law Offices of Phillip E.
Bonne Bridges Mueller O’Keefe & Nichols
Bononi Law Group
Borton Petrini
Bradley & Gmelich
Bryan Cave
Buchalter Fields & Younger
Callahan & Blaine
Callahan McCune & Willis
Carlsmith Ball
Carlson Law Group
Carlton DiSante & Freudenberger
Caskey & Holzman
Chapman Glucksman & Dean
Charlston Revich & Wollitz
Clark & Trevithick
Clark Goldberg & Madruga
Cohen, Barry L. & Associates
Connor Fletcher & Williams
Cook Brown
Cook Roos Wilbur Thompson
Cox Castle & Nicholson
Cunningham & Treadwell
Daley & Heft
Daniels Fine Israel Schonbuch & Lebovits
Dempsey & Johnson
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary
DLA Piper USA
Drier Stein & Kahan
Drinker Biddle & Reath
Dummit Buchholz & Trapp
Dykema Gossett
Early Maslach & VanDueck
Ervin Cohen & Jessup
Felahy & Associates
Feldman & Associates
Fisher Sparks Grayson & Wolfe
Foley & Lardner
Folger & Levin & Kahn
Fonda & Fraser
Ford & Harrison
Ford Walker Haggerty & Behar
Fox Rothschild
Freeman Freeman & Smiley
Gareeb Law Group
Gibbs Giden Locher & Turner
Gilbert Kelly Crowley & Jennett
Girardi & Keese
Gordon & Reese
Green Bryant & French
Greenberg & Bass
Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman
Greene Broillet & Wheeler
Grodsky & Olecki
Hahn & Hahn
Haight Brown & Bonesteel
Harrington Foxx Dubrow & Canter
Hawkins Prata & Daley
Hemer Rousso & Heald
Hill Farrer & Burrill
Hooper Lundy & Bookman
Hosp Gilbert Bergsten & Phillips
Houle & Houle
Howard Strickroth & Parker
Howrey
Hunt Ortmann
Irell & Manella
Ivie McNeil & Wyatt
Jackson Lewis
Jackson Walker
Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss
Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro
Jones Bell Abbott Fleming & Fitzgerald
Jones Day
Kaplan Kenegos & Kadin
Kastegar & Matern
Katten Muchin Rosenman
Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan
Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert
Kirtland & Packard
Kneafsey Tostado & Treadwell
Knee Ross & Silverman
Krakow, Law Offices of Marvin
Krane & Smith
Kreindler & Kreindler
Kroll Law Corporation
Kulik Gottesman Mouton & Siegel
Labowe Labowe & Hoffman
LaFollette Johnson DeHaas Fesler & Ames
Landegger Baron Levenant
Lang Hanigan & Carvalho
Lapidus & Lapidus
Laughlin Falbo Levy & Moresi
Lavely & Singer
LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae
Lee, Law Offices of Henry
Levinson Arshonsky & Kurtz
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Lim Ruger & Kim
Lindahl Schnabel Kardassakis & Beck
Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif
Lipsitz Green Scime & Cambria
Littler Mendelson
Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell
Loeb & Loeb
Lovretovich, Law Offices of Joseph
Lynberg & Watkins
Magana Cathcart & McCarthy
Maki, Law Offices of Lisa
Mancini, Law Offices of Marcus
Mandell Law Firm
Manning & Marder Kass Ellrod Ramirez
Manning Leaver Bruder & Berberich
Maranga Morgenstern
McCune & Harber
McDermott Will & Emery
McNicholas & McNicholas
McNulty, Law Offices of Peter
Meserve Mumper & Hughes
Mesriani & Associates
Michelman & Robinson
Miller Brown & Dannis
Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp
Moldo Davidson Fraioli Seror & Sestanovich
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Morris Polich & Purdy
Morrison & Foerster
Munger Tolles & Olson
Murchison & Cumming
Murphy Pearson Bradley & Feeney
Musick Peeler & Garrett
Nemecek & Cole
Neufeld Law Group
Nordman Cormany Hair & Compton
Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott
Novian & Novian
Ogletree Deakins
Palumbo Bergstrom
Panish Shea & Boyle
Parker Mills & Patel
Patterson Ritner Lockwood & Jurich
Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker
Payne & Fears
Peckar & Abramson
Pedersen Law & Dispute Resolution
Perona Langer Beck & Serbin
Petit Kohn Ingrassis & Lutz
Poindexter & Doutre
Pollard Mavredakis Cranert Crawford & Stevens
Proskauer Rose
Reback McAndrews & Kjar
Rehwald Glasner & Chaleff
Richards Watson & Gershon
RivkinRadler
Robie & Matthai
RoganLehrman
Rosen & Associates
Rus Miliband & Smith
Rutan & Tucker
Schaffer Lax McNaughton & Chen
Schwartz Daniels & Bradley
Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold
Seed Mackall
Serratore & Ames
Severson & Werson
Seyfarth Shaw
Shapiro Rodarte & Freedman
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton
Shook Hardy & Bacon
Snell & Wilmer
Snyder Dorenfeld
Solomon Saltsman & Jamieson
Squire Sanders & Dempsey
Stephan Oringher Richman Theodora
Steptoe & Johnson
Stolpman Krissman Elber & Silver
Strassburg Gilmore & Wei
Sullivan Workman & Dee
Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner
Veatch Carlson Grogan & Nelson
Vedder Price
VonEtten Suzumoto & Becket
Voss Silverman & Braybrooke
Walsworth Franklin Bevins & McCall
Wasserman Comden & Casselman
Waxler Carner Weinreb & Brodsky
Weissman Wolff Bergman Coleman
Wesierski & Zurek
Weston Benshoof Rochefort Rubalacava
White & Case
White O’Connor & Curry
White O'Connor Fink & Brenner
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker
Wolfe & Wyman
Wood Smith Henning & Berman
Zukor & Nelson
This page was last modified in December 2009
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