Profile

For over 41 years, Sanford Jossen, Esq. has been a key figure in alternative dispute resolution. Since 1987, he has mediated or arbitrated thousands of cases across a wide variety of civil litigation matters. Mr. Jossen served as a panelist for the Los Angeles Superior Court’s arbitration panel from 1987 to the conclusion of the program. He also served on the Los Angeles Superior Court’s mediation panel from its inception to the conclusion of the program, when he was on the Executive Board – reflecting his insight into ADR proceedings. Beyond this experience, he was a seminal member of the California Court of Appeal’s mediation program and a seminal member of the United States District Court, Central District’s mediation panel, where he remains active. He has completed over 400 hours of training and continuing education in the fields of mediation, arbitration, and dispute resolution, and was an Adjunct Professor at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law.

With a wealth of experience in handling delicate cases and challenging clients, Mr. Jossen has demonstrated his ability to navigate highly sensitive matters with a unique blend of professionalism and empathy. He has a successful track record of mediating highly sensitive personal injury and civil cases, including sexual molestation cases, making him a go-to mediator in the industry. Mr. Jossen conducts his cases with compassion and a commitment to fair and equitable outcomes for all litigants. He understands the complex emotions involved in legal disputes and values the opportunity for all parties to have their voices heard. His patience, responsiveness, and accommodation ensure that all parties have a safe and respectful environment to express the manner in which their disputes have affected them.

As a litigator, Mr. Jossen is a seasoned attorney with over four decades of experience. He has been in the trenches and personally handled every component of litigation for each case he handled, from research, writing, litigation, trial, and appeal. In addition, he regularly represented his clients in mediation and arbitration proceedings, both pre- and post-initiation of litigation involving cases of all kinds. This includes contractual arbitration including underinsured and uninsured motorist matters.

Mr. Jossen has been honored with an impressive array of awards and accolades, including twice receiving the President’s Award from the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (2005 and 2007). He has achieved the highest peer rating standard of “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, which is reserved for attorneys who are ranked at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal expertise, communication skills, and ethical standards by their peers. In 2004, Mr. Jossen was first selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer, and he has been selected again consecutively every year since 2008.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  • Personal Injury
  • Civil Rights
  • Sexual Molestation / Sexual Harassment
  • Government Entity Claims
  • Premises Liability
  • Commercial Contract/ General Business
  • Division of Settlement Proceeds
  • Fee Disputes
  • Legal Malpractice
  • Insurance Coverage / Bad Faith
  • Landlord / Tenant / Habitability
  • Minor’s Compromise
  • Professional Liability
  • UIM / UM

DISPUTE RESOLUTION EXPERIENCE

  • Neutral, ADR Services, Inc., 2023-Present.
  • Mediation Panel, California Court of Appeal, 2002-Present.
  • Settlement Officer, United States District Court, 2001-Present.
  • Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Program, Beverly Hills Bar Association, 1987-2008.
  • Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Program, Los Angeles County Bar Association, 1987-2000.
  • Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association, 1990-2023.
  • Mediation and Arbitration Panelist, Los Angeles Superior Court, 1987-Present.

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • Los Angeles Magazine, Super Lawyers, 2004 and 2008-2023.
  • Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, President’s Award, 2007.
  • Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, President’s Award, 2005.
  • United States Congress, Certificate of Appreciation, 1997.
  • California State Assembly, Certificate of Recognition, 1997.
  • County of Los Angeles, Commendation for Service to the Community, 1997.
  • City of Los Angeles, Certificate of Appreciation for Service to the Community, 1997.
  • Los Angeles Unified School District, Certificate of Recognition, 1997.
  • Los Angeles Superior and Municipal Courts, Numerous Certificates of Appreciation for Pro Bono Services as Arbitrator/Mediator/Settlement Officer.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Adjunct Professor, Pepperdine University School of Law, 2008-2013.
  • Chairperson, Lawyers Referral Service Executive Committee, Los Angeles County Bar Association, 2018-Present.
  • Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE), State Bar of California, 2006-2009.
  • Task Force on Tort Reform of the Los Angeles Dependency Court, 1999-2009.
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Los Angeles Superior Court, 2006-2007.
  • Administrative and Personnel Hearing Examiner, City of Santa Monica, 2008

EDUCATION

  • UC Hastings College of the Law, “Advanced Advocacy Program,” Certificate, 1991.
  • University of Southern California, School of Law, “Publishing and Recording Aspects of the Music Industry,” Certificate, 1985.
  • University of San Diego, School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1980.
  • Southampton College, Long Island University, B.A. in English, 1974.

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

  • “Let There Be Light – Open the Foster care System,” Daily Journal, November 2011.
  • “Law 2020 and Beyond,” Daily Journal, August 2010.
  • “Attorneys Must Fight Bad PR, Convey Virtues to Public,” Daily Journal, March 2005.
  • “Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Malpractice,” Los Angeles County Bar Association Website, December 1998.
  • “Incorporating the Stars,” Volume 4, Number 5, Los Angeles Lawyer, July/August 1981.
  • “Fiduciary Aspect of the Personal Manager’s Relationship with a Performing Artist,” 167 Cal. Rptr. 33 (Supp.) [Pocket Part] Number 4, 1980.
  • Numerous articles in the Daily Journal and letters in the Los Angeles Times.

Representative Cases

Personal Injury

  • Apportioned settlement proceeds among several relatives of a woman who was struck and killed by a car. Navigated familial difficulties to fairly distribute the proceeds between seven family members with varying degrees of relation to the deceased.
  • Minor raped by a neighbor.
  • Pedestrian killed in crosswalk killed by two vehicles that crashed into him.
  • Motorcyclist hit by vehicle leg amputated.
  • Pedestrian in crosswalk with broken warning system killed by vehicle.
  • Minor suffered burns to feet by walking to a broken fire pit.
  • Minor molested by teacher.
  • Semi truck driver runs over man resulting in his death.
  • Police excessive force.
  • Minor raped by foster father over two-year period.
  • Minor burned in shower by foster parent.
  • Minor raped by child in group home.
  • Man falls off roof due to negligence of owner. Policy limit payout.
  • Auto vs. auto “rear-ender,” multiple impact.
  • Developmentally disabled boy AWOLs wanders onto freeway. Struck by car.
  • Minor burned in foster care.
  • Foster parent neglects developmentally disabled minor.
  • Woman injured in head-on car accident. Uninsured Motorist Policy limit.
  • Delivery man slips and falls on stairs.
  • Minor female raped in foster home. Policy limit payout.
  • Auto vs. auto. Client has cervical surgery. Policy limit payout.
  • Prisoner over detained.
  • Woman rear-ended in auto vs. auto accident.
  • Man on bicycle sues county for cable left on roadway.
  • Minor raped by another child in foster home.
  • Civil rights claim. False imprisonment of children in delinquency facilities.
  • DIRECTV installer falls on wet stairway. Shoulder injury.
  • Motorcyclist goes down on defective roadway sues county.
  • Minor raped by adult.
  • Exposure to hydrogen sulfide at construction site.
  • Motorcycle rider injured in intersection accident. Policy limit. payout.
  • Passenger in car. Receives epidural injections. Policy limit.
  • Pedestrian falls on city sidewalk adjacent to popular supermarket.

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Testimonials

I had a wonderful experience with Mr. Jossen. He was sympathetic to my client, knowledgeable in the area of personal injury, and it felt like I was dealing with a real straight shooter. Ultimately we arrived at a settlement that was fair and reasonable. I would certainly enlist Mr. Jossen’s help in the future to resolve cases.”


“I’ve gone through so many mediations and so I know great mediators are a rare commodity. Mediating is an art and not everyone can do it. A mediator can have an outstanding educational background, years of training, and experience up to ying yang but it won’t mean a thing if they don’t have the “knack” for it. It’s inborn and Sanford Jossen’s got it. It’s not his extensive education, experience or training that’s doing the trick, it’s beyond that. He just knows how to communicate with people of all personalities and bridge the gap. He comes in with an unwavering confidence that he will get the case resolved and he backs that up with an unbelievably seasoned skill. Our case was an impossible one to mediate. The parties agreed on nothing. We were just going through the mediation because it was court ordered. Then enter Sanford Jossen. He comes in with a glowing confidence (that neither party shared) and slowly brings the parties together on the issues, one by one, and before we knew it, we were actually agreeing on impossible matters and making concessions that we weren’t willing to make before and by golly, the case actually got resolved to the satisfaction of both sides. We were all floored. Sanford Jossen is just such a great mediator that I think he should try his hand in international diplomacy.”


“Sanford was great. He was very knowledgeable and sympathetic. I plan to recommend him for future mediation sessions.”


“Mr. Jossen was great. He had excellent knowledge of the pros/cons of a premises liability claim and was able to relay the same to a previously unreasonable Plaintiff, resulting in a settlement that was reasonable for both sides.”