Hon. Darrel Lewis (Ret.) T: 310.203.8200 F: 310.203.8211

Retired from the Superior Court in 1999, Judge Darrel Lewis brings over 20 years experience as a general trial judge in Sacramento, California. His assignments included presiding judge of the appellate department, full-time civil law and motion calendars and full-time civil settlement conferences. Judge Darrel Lewis brings to mediation a unique combination of judicial insight and authority, formal mediation training, keen listening skills and an empathic personality that allows him to communicate effectively with people from all walks of life. Judge Darrel Lewis specializes in mediation and discovery disputes. He has been particularly successful in resolving cases involving personal injury, products liability, professional malpractice, real estate, home owner associations, business, construction, and employment law.

EDUCATION:

• J.D., University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento, 1972

• M.B.A., California State University, Sacramento, 1967

• B.A., University of the Pacific, Stockton, 1965

JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE:

Judge Darrel Lewis was elected in 1979 and quickly established himself as an impartial and astute judge of civil law. As Supervising Settlement Judge he conducted or supervised over 2,000 settlement conferences encompassing all areas of civil law. His settlement efforts resulted in his being named 1998 Judge of the Year by the Sacramento Consumer Attorneys.

ADR EXPERIENCE:

• 1999 - Present) Mediator, Arbitrator, and Private Judge. Judge Darrel Lewis's devotion to Alternative Dispute Resolution is widely recognized.
  

• First Resolution Services - Panelist

AREAS OF PRACTICE:

ARBITRATION
Judge Darrel Lewis will arbitrate commercial cases between business or other entities. He will not arbitrate cases involving a party in pro per or cases where an individual is suing another individual.

MEDIATION
Judge Darrel Lewis mediates all general civil cases. He does not handle family law cases. Judge Lewis particularly enjoys working with cases with high emotion or personality issues. He has been very successful in the areas of:

• Family Trusts and Probate

• Employment Law

• Homeowner’s Associations and Neighborhood disputes

• Medical and Legal Negligence and Malpractice
  

• Elder Abuse
  

• Personal Injury
  

• Wrongful Death

Judge Lewis has resolved numerous cases involving:

• Construction Defects
  

• Real Estate Sales
  

• Landlord Tenant
  

• Land Use
  

• Inverse Condemnation

Judge Lewis’s MBA degree assists him in understanding the issues in:

• Business Disputes
  

• Partnership Disputes and dissolutions
  

• Commercial Disputes
  

• Contracts in General

Judge Lewis’s experience in Criminal Law Enforcement helps him to resolve cases involving
allegations of:

• Police Use of Excess Force
  

• Unlawful arrests
  

• Civil Aspects of Criminal Conduct

ADR EDUCATION:

Judge Darrel Lewis has completed the following mediation courses: Mediator Communication Skills (Tony Roffers, Ph.D.), Advanced Settlement Techniques (John B. Bates, Jr. of Jams/ Endispute), Advanced Mediation Techniques (Pepperdine University) and Litigation Risk Analysis (Mark Victor). He completed, and has served as faculty assistant for, the Civil Mediation Course (National Judicial College, University of Nevada, Reno), Mediation Practice (Forrest Mosten), Training for experienced Mediators (Steve Rosenberg, Mill Valley, CA) and the 1st and 3RD D.C.A. Appellate Mediation Training. He has served as an ADR panelist at the Master’s Forum (Pepperdine University) and the Retired Judges Conference of the California Judges Association.

HONORS / AWARDS AND PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS / AFFILIATIONS:

• Selected as "Peacemaker of the Year" by a consortium of seven organizations that promote ADR (1999).

• Named "Judge of the Year" by the Sacramento Consumer Attorneys (1998).

• Judge Lewis produced Saturday seminars on facilitative mediation techniques for Sacramento's pro tem settlement judges.

• The Sacramento County Bar Association has published material written by Judge Darrel Lewis regarding how attorneys and clients should prepare for a mediation.

• Featured in the September 15, 2006 edition of the San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journals.

RECENT ARTICLES:

Judge Walks on Fire, but Not on Water

Website: www.MediatorJudge.com

AVAILABLE:

Throughout Northern California

Download Judge Darrel Lewis's Profile (PDF)