May 16, 2022
Hon. Steven K. Austin (Ret.) Joins ADR Services, Inc.
ADR Services, Inc. proudly welcomes former Presiding Judge of the Contra Costa Superior Court, Hon. Steven K. Austin (Ret.), to our panel of distinguished neutrals. He is available for mediations, arbitrations, and discovery and judicial reference assignments.
Judge Austin recently retired from the bench after an impressive 36-year career as a civil litigator and Judge of the Superior Court. As a judge, he managed a busy Civil Direct assignment caseload for 13 years, where he was responsible for all case management, law and motion, discovery, settlement conferences, and trials. He is widely respected in the legal community for being a highly competent, hardworking, and evenhanded judge with excellent legal acumen.
In addition, Judge Austin was known for proactively and successfully settling his cases, and he has conducted close to 1,000 settlement conferences over the course of his judicial career. His natural ability to reduce friction among litigants and build consensus, coupled with his common sense approach to litigation, makes him an ideal choice to resolve disputes. Judge Austin specializes in handling matters involving the following areas of law:
- Personal Injury
- Construction Defect/Landslide
- Property & Neighbor Disputes
- Business
- Medical Malpractice
- Elder Abuse
In recognition of his judicial achievements, Judge Austin received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Contra Costa County Bar Association, and he has been honored as Trial Judge of the Year by the San Francisco Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and twice by the Alameda-Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association (ACCTLA).