Ross R. Hart, Esq.

Professional Experience

1995 - present: Full-time neutral; mediator, settlement referee, discovery referee, special master, umpire and arbitrator.

1980 - 1994: Partner, Irsfeld, Irsfeld & Younger, Glendale, California.

1976 - 1979: Associate, Irsfeld, Irsfeld & Younger, Hollywood, California.

Education

1976: JD, Loyola Law School, 1976 Cum Laude. Honors include St. Thomas More Law Honor Society; Recipient three Loyola Alumni Scholarships; Ranked in Top 5% of Graduating Class; Dean's Honor Roll six semesters.

1973: B.A., U.C.L.A., Latin American Studies, Cum Laude

Bar Membership, Certifications, Professional Associations

Los Angeles County Bar Association, Member Arbitration and ADR Committee; American Bar Association, Member committee on Manufacturer's Liability Litigation; Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution; Southern California Mediation Association; AAA Center for Mediation, Judicial Task Force; Recipient, Distinguished Service Award 1991 - American Arbitration Association; Testified before Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees regarding Senate Bill 1001 (Arbitral Immunity) at request of California State Bar (1984); Testified before Assembly Judiciary Committee regarding Civil Code § 1375 and ADR models (2001); Arbitration Panel Member: AAA Large Complex Case Panel; Certified Arbitrator, California Public Works Contract Arbitration Panel; Panel Member, CalTrans Dispute Review Board; Trained by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a Partnering Facilitator; Member, ICBO; Profiled in article on Alternative Dispute Resolution in Fall 1994 Loyola Lawyer; Profiled in Los Angeles Daily Journal October of 1996, January 1999, November of 2002 and November of 2007; Selected one of California’s top 20 neutrals by Daily Journal November 2002; Contributing Editor Shepard's California Construction Law Reporter; Recipient: West Coast Casualty's Jerrold S. Oliver Award of Excellence (1996); Member CAMCA (Commercial Arbitration and Mediation Center for the Americas) Multi-National Panel of Arbitrators for resolution of NAFTA disputes; AAA Law Practice Panel; AAA National Mass Torts Panel; AAA President's Panel of Mediators; Member CDRC (California Dispute Resolution Council); Member, Panel of Mediators for National Arbitration Forum (“NAF”); Panel Member: International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR); AAA Panel for USA Track & Field Doping Grievances; Panel Mediator/ Arbitrator, Tribunal Arbitral du Sport, Lausanne, Switzerland. Recipient: Legend of an Era Award (West Coast Casualty 2013).

Foreign Language

Spanish (resident of Mexico for two years)

Mediation Experience

Extensive experience in mediation of disputes, both as advocate and as Mediator over last twenty years. Mediation experience includes construction, commercial, real estate, insurance coverage, environmental and personal injury. Certified Mediator, AAA. Voluntary Settlement Officer, Los Angeles Superior Court. Mediator (CRC 1632), Los Angeles Superior Court. Significant experience in resolving complex, multi-party disputes.

Arbitration Experience

Extensive experience serving as arbitrator of construction and commercial disputes including many complex, multi-party disputes involving multi-million dollar claims over last twenty years. Arbitrator in disputes involving Olympic athletes and Amateur Athletic Federations (1988 and 1992 Olympics). Panel member: AAA Large Complex Case Program (LCCP). Extensive experience as an advocate representing parties in commercial and construction arbitrations. Service as Umpire in fire and earthquake first party casualty claim appraisal disputes.

Reference Experience

Regularly appointed by Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura County Superior Courts and U.S. District Court as Referee/Special Master in complex, multi-party construction disputes. Formulation and implementation of case management orders and resolution of discovery disputes. Parallel management and execution of mediation and settlement efforts.

Litigation Experience

All phases of civil litigation, including tactical planning, discovery, court trials, jury trials, arbitrations, mediations and appeals in construction, commercial, product liability and real estate actions. Clients included developers, merchant builders, contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, engineers, architects, homeowners associations, homeowners, manufacturers of heavy equipment (cranes, construction equipment, logging trucks, rubber mills, etc.) and automotive products, domestic airline association, judicial and quasi-judicial officers.

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