Lucie Barron – CEO & President
At the helm of ADR Services, Inc., its CEO & President, Lucie Barron has become for some synonymous with the concept of alternative dispute resolution.
Born in Germany of Russian parents who were prisoners of war, Ms. Barron spent the first few years of her childhood in a refugee camp before her family immigrated to a small suburb in Adelaide, South Australia. At age seventeen, Ms. Barron left home to study psychology at the University of Adelaide, and then moved to Sydney where she obtained a Masters of Psychology at the University of Sydney. She married, and after the birth of her first child, she changed careers to broaden her skill set by earning an MBA from McGill University. She later relocated to Southern California with her then husband and four young children, a number which quickly became seven.
In the wake of a difficult divorce, Ms. Barron abruptly found herself the sole supporter and caretaker of seven young children. Serendipitously, personal litigation indoctrinated Ms. Barron into the legal system, where she recognized the value of alternative dispute resolution, an emerging field at that time. Following her intuition and her multifaceted business and educational experience, Ms. Barron spent countless hours at the University of California, Los Angeles business and law schools, studying the laws, procedures and marketplace of private dispute resolution. After devouring everything she could find on the subject, Ms. Barron contacted a list of retired judges and invited them to join her fledgling panel. Enticed by her vision and intrigued by her determination, eight retired judges originally agreed to work with what has now become the fastest growing ADR provider in California.
Now, over two decades later, Ms. Barron is ever-present in the legal community, expanding the company’s presence, attending nearly every industry event and major conference. Ms. Barron has also been a speaker at legal conferences locally and internationally, proudly representing the United States on the subject of dispute resolution in Ukraine, Austria and Mauritius through the World Jurist Association.
Joanna Barron – Executive Vice President
Joanna Barron is the Executive Vice President and a principal of ADR Services, Inc.
Primarily located in the San Francisco office, Joanna is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose offices of ADR Services, Inc. Additionally, Joanna provides Case Management services for a set of neutrals, is engaged in the recruitment of new neutrals, is a frequent attendee of local bar association networking events, oversees ADR Services, Inc.’s marketing efforts in Northern California and assists in business strategies and development across the state.
Joanna received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied business management and international political economy. Prior to joining ADR Services, Inc. Joanna spent several years working in finance and asset management in New York City and Connecticut. She currently lives in San Francisco with her Parisian husband.
Haward Cho – General Manager
Haward Cho is the General Manager for the Southern California ADR Services, Inc. offices.
He is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operation of the offices, as well as Case Management for a set of neutrals. Haward is also part of the ADR Services, Inc. Marketing Team that is engaged in recruiting, marketing strategies, and business development.
Haward also attends various networking events in Southern California.
Haward graduated with a Bachelors in Arts in Business Administration with a Concentration in General Management. He lives in Orange County and in his spare time, enjoys spending time with his wife and five kids
Kathleen Emma – Director of Operations
Kathleen Emma is the Director of Operations for the Northern California ADR Services, Inc. offices.
In her 15 years with the company, Kathleen has worn many hats, initially as receptionist, then as a case manager and now in her current role as Operations Manager. She works in conjunction with Joanna Barron to manage the daily processes of the three Northern California offices, while also directly interfacing with staff, neutrals and clients.
Kathleen received a Bachelors in Arts from the University of San Francisco, where she majored in Media Studies, with minors in journalism and gender studies. She has been in the Bay Area for the past 20 years and feels lucky to live and work in beautiful San Francisco.
Katy Jones – Marketing Production Manager
Katy Jones is the Senior Case Manager and MCLE Coordinator for ADR Services, Inc.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Katy returned to the Bay Area after attending UCLA to study globalization and economics in the Global Studies program. Katy case manages for a number of the Northern California neutrals, serves as an invaluable and knowledgeable resource for staff and clients, and was key in designing, developing and implementing ADR Services, Inc.’s custom Case Management System, AMS.
As the firm’s MCLE Coordinator, Katy partners with neutrals to develop content, disseminates programming to our clients through our complimentary in-house MCLE program and oversees self-study credit distribution. Katy also works in conjunction with well-known legal organizations and bar associations to produce and promote educational presentations.
Chelsea Mangel – Director of Market Development
Chelsea Mangel is the Director of Market Development of ADR Services, Inc., based out of the Century City Office.
She works in conjunction with the marketing team to help develop existing neutrals’ business and to recruit and onboard new neutrals. She attends various conferences and networking events throughout Southern California.
Chelsea is also an experienced member of the case management team and has a wealth of knowledge about the backgrounds and expertise of the ADR Services, Inc. neutrals. Clients trust her to suggest an appropriate neutral to resolve their disputes in the most effective and efficient manner.
Chelsea joined ADR Services, Inc. in 2010 after receiving her B.A. in Criminal Justice from California State University, Chico. She received her Masters of Science in Organizational Management and Leadership from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School in 2021.
Theresa Nguyen – Business Manager
Theresa is a central member of the Senior Management team as Business Manager of ADR Services, Inc. She serves an integral role in overseeing company operations, accounting, human resources, marketing and business development, as well as recruiting new panelists.
She works closely with the executive team to implement company strategies and to assess the performance of the company against its financial and operational goals. She is also responsible for the hiring, training, and evaluation of employees for the Southern California offices.
In her role overseeing marketing and business development, Theresa manages the development, coordination, and execution of marketing campaigns, including marketing letters, email marketing, and advertisements. She also manages event sponsorships and company appearances at industry conventions, seminars, and networking events.
Theresa received her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine. She went on to work in the legal industry for a few years before joining ADR Services, Inc. in 2011.
Christie Woo – Director of Case Management
Ms. Woo is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a BS degree in Math. She joined ADR Services Inc. in 2005, with previous work experience as a financial advisor and a legal assistant. Ms. Woo knows all the ins and outs of case management since she started as an Assistant Case Manager, and was quickly promoted to a Case Manager position. The neutrals value Ms. Woo’s organizational skills, her ability to make every attorney/client feel at ease, her professionalism, her adeptness at meeting the unique needs of each client, her keen knowledge of her neutrals’ backgrounds and specializations.
Ms. Woos’ long career with ADR Services, Inc. makes her invaluable to her co-workers as a source of knowledge about ADR Services, Inc.’s procedures, current developments in the ADR field, as well as best approaches to providing excellent customer service to attorneys/clients who contact ADR Services, Inc. As a Director of Case Management, Ms. Woo’s responsibilities include supervising Case Managers throughout the state, creating new case management procedures, training/education of Case Managers and Assistant Case Managers, and initial client consultation regarding procedures for all services provided by the company and neutral selections.