Case Manager: Katy Jones
Justice James Lambden brings to his ADR practice more than four decades of experience as a trial lawyer, trial court judge and Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal.
During his 14 years as a trial lawyer he represented clients throughout the state in cases involving construction, commercial contracts, torts, secured transactions, employment, insurance and real estate. His clients ranged from wind farm start-ups to international corporations such as Merck and Co.
His 7 years as a trial judge included more than 4 years presiding over a master civil law and motion calendar averaging 25 to 30 hearings each day. During this assignment he also briefed the presiding judge weekly regarding the settlement prospects of the cases coming up for trial.
In his other civil assignments he managed the Fast Track calendar and successfully settled dozens of cases scheduled for jury trials; and he tried to verdict many others. He was named Civil Trial Judge of the Year by the Alameda/Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association before being elevated to the Court of Appeal in 1996.
Justice Lambden authored over 1,000 opinions during his 17 years on the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco; and he joined in hundreds of other published opinions authored by his colleagues. More than 100 of his opinions resolved important civil issues; and several of those resulted in new law, either by subsequent legislation or as affirmed precedents.
Justice Lambden has been a national leader in developing strategies to improve access to justice. Since 1997 he has been first a founding member, then chairman and now an ex officio member of the California Commission on Access to Justice. He served on the Board of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness. For 9 years he chaired the Access and Fairness Advisory Committee of the California Judicial Council (the constitutional governing body of the California court system). And in 2013 he received the Benjamin Aranda Award in recognition of his life-long work to remove barriers to access to justice.
Throughout his career Justice Lambden has been an author and frequent lecturer on civil procedure and substantive civil law. He has taught on behalf of the California Judges’ Association, the State Bar, CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar) and CJER (California Judicial Education and Research). As an appellate justice he regularly lectured at the Bernard Witkin Judicial College and conducted orientations for new judges on procedural and substantive topics.
He co-authored California Civil Practice, “Procedure” Thomson-West; and he has taught legal writing and trial practice classes at several law schools for many years. However, he is reluctant to reveal in which year he composed a question for the California Bar Exam.
“I rate Justice Lambden as one of the top five mediators in the state. He’s very efficient, he’s methodical about staying on top of the issues and a taskmaster in a good sense. He’s shrewd, affable and funny.”
“Justice Lambden takes the time to build credibility with parties and attorneys. He’s broadly traveled, broadly read, broadly interested in things. He creates a really safe space for everyone. Despite his amazing résumé, he’s a regular person who’s real easy to talk to.”
“It feels like Justice Lambden has lived a bunch of lives. He has a way of connecting with people that puts them at ease. He makes you feel that he’s on your side. Once he forms a connection with the participants in a mediation, he uses it to push for a settlement. He knows when he needs to play hardball. He’s very pragmatic.”
“Justice Lambden builds a rapport with the clients using his wit and intellect. He builds trust and confidence that he will do his utmost best to resolve the matter in an equitable and expeditious manner for all parties. He spends ample time listening to the clients to hear their concerns and get to know them. All this to further instill confidence that he will be using his skills to maximize any possible settlement yet cautioning the clients that it’s a give and take exercise.”
“Justice Lambden is one of the most versatile mediators in Northern California. He’s intelligent, evaluative, and brings a strong “judicial” perspective to mediation that many mediators today lack. Justice Lambden has regularly settled extremely difficult cases and tenaciously approaches each one. He’s always presented well prepared and enthusiastic in his approach. I recommend him without reservation.”
“Justice Lambden is dedicated to helping parties resolve their differences. He listened carefully and got to know the parties. He had absorbed all the legal and factual material in the mediation statements before we began. When the mediation reached a seemingly insurmountable impasse, he proposed a solution that brought the matter to a prompt resolution. Most important, our clients felt their views and grievances were heard and understood and came away loving him.”
“Justice Lambden is an adept mediator and arbitrator. He is affable, and relates well with the principals as well as the attorneys. I have found Judge Lambden’s considerable experience at both the trial court and appellate court levels to be a valuable asset. I highly recommend Judge Lambden to my clients as he focuses on understanding the case, on fundamental fairness, and on doing his best to get it right. If you are looking for a mediator who mindlessly beats up each party or for an arbitrator who always splits the baby, then you should look somewhere else.”
“Justice Lambden builds a rapport with the clients using his wit and intellect. He builds trust and confidence that he will do his utmost best to resolve the matter in an equitable and expeditious manner for all parties. He spends ample time listening to the clients to hear their concerns and get to know them. All this to further instill confidence that he will be using his skills to maximize any possible settlement yet cautioning the clients that it’s a give and take exercise.”
“I have had the pleasure of using Judge Lambden as mediator on two probate matters over the last year. He was professional, knowledgeable, and was able to assist us in resolving matters that I was concerned would not be settled. He was successful in making my clients feel that he heard and valued their feelings and opinions while remaining neutral. Judge Lambden also succeeded in reaffirming that the clients understood both the pros and cons of settlement and of going to trial or proceeding with litigation. He was helpful in working with the parties to craft practical solutions that were workable and addressed all the issues.”
“I have worked with Justice Lambden in 3 different appeals as a mock justice/consultant who advised and commented on appellate strategy, draft appellate briefs and mock oral arguments and he served as a mediator who helped the parties settle another matter after a verdict and before the case would have gone on to an appeal. He was extremely helpful in both roles. The combination of his consistently sound analysis and his effective communication style (clear but low key) works well in the high temperature environment of big money appeals and contentious mediations.”
“I have made use of Justice Lambden’s mediation services in the past. Justice Lambden displays the qualities my clients and I value in a mediator, namely attentiveness to the party’s story, assurance of neutrality, patience throughout the process, professionalism with a touch of levity, and a minimal but judicious use of his experience without breaking from his neutral role. He provides confidence in the process even if Parties are sometimes too far apart for the process to lead to a holistic resolution. I would willingly recommend to others, and personally make use of Justice Lambden’s mediation services for future matters.”
“Justice Lambden is at the top of our list as the mediator most likely to settle our hardest cases. He is especially skillful in the resolution of cross-border cases that involve complex issues and the potential for cultural factors that other mediators are unable to successfully bridge. Justice Lambden’s ability to gain the respect and trust of both lawyers and clients is extraordinary.”
“Justice Lambden was able to creatively find a path to settle part of a highly contentious and complex case that will pave the way for global settlement of remaining claims. No other path was available and partial settlement was difficult but advantageous to both parties. Where there is a will (and the right mediator!) there is a way”
“In my nearly 40 years of employment law litigation practice representing both employees and employers, I have represented clients in probably a couple of hundred mediations. Justice Lambden is at the very top of our list of recommended mediators for all of our cases. In the numerous mediations we have had with Justice Lambden he has helped us settle every case. Justice Lambden’s remarkable record of success is attributed to his wealth of experience, wisdom, insight and diligence which is instrumental in settling difficult employment cases.”
“My litigation practice is heavy in the use of neutrals. There are a lot of choices out there and Justice Lambden is consistently in my top three. When I propose him as a neutral, the other side almost always agrees, which exemplifies how universally respected he is. When you work with Justice Lambden, his experience as a trial lawyer, trial judge and appellate justice is readily apparent. He is always well prepared. His case management is professional and organized. Based on my many experiences working with Justice Lambden, I strongly recommend him as a neutral.”
“Justice Lambden was able to implement resolution of hotly disputed environmental claims spanning many years in multiple courthouses. Mediation sessions from early 2021 to 2022 with continued involvement by Justice Lambden, ultimately resolved all claims. He was the guiding force ensuring global resolution was successful.”
“I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Justice Lambden as both a neutral. As a mediator, I’ve found him to be creative, insightful and determined to reach a settlement that makes sense for both sides. I would not hesitate to recommend him and I always look forward to working with him. Aside from getting great results, he is a pleasure to speak with and a consummate professional and gentleman.”
“ADR Services, Inc. and Justice Lambden bent over backwards to promptly and thoroughly address some very thorny and time-critical issues as Discovery Referee, from which all parties benefitted.”
