Michael D. Young, Esq. was at the forefront of the mediation movement, beginning his mediation training in 1989 and developing a mediation practice that complimented his trial and litigation practice. After more than 25 years as an employment, intellectual property, and business litigator and trial attorney with a national law firm, Mike left his litigation practice in 2011 to join Judicate West full-time helping parties resolve disputes through mediation. Mike never stopped learning or sharing, immersing himself in the mediation profession, taking and teaching mediation courses around the world, serving as the President of the International Academy of Mediators, and teaching ADR courses as an adjunct professor at USC Law for almost a decade and at Pepperdine’s world-renowned Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. Since joining Judicate West, Mike has mediated and resolved thousands of cases in all areas of the law, but with a particular focus on employment, intellectual property, environmental and business disputes.
Mike continually seeks to create mediation processes that better and more efficiently meet the needs of lawyers and their clients alike, and has earned a reputation for his creative and “out of the box” techniques. He is known to settle contentious and complex disputes in innovative ways that the parties themselves had not previously considered. He prides himself on tirelessly following up and developing solutions tailored to each case. Mike is a believer in paying it forward through his teaching, public speaking and writing, and his more personal mentoring of new mediators.
Attorney's have praised Mike’s creativity and doggedness. Said one attorney following a difficult employment mediation: "Your ideas were very creative, and your no-nonsense approach was exactly right for this case. I've been in over 200 mediations from all perspectives, but the job you did this week really stands out." Commented another: "Mike was very effective in building credibility with both plaintiffs and the defense in an emotionally charged case involving several plaintiffs. He was able to get to the heart of the issues and put the parties on a path to resolution while giving everyone an opportunity to be heard. His tireless follow up and accessibility was crucial to the resolution of the case." Said a third: "I have used mediators for over three decades, and Mike came up with approaches, ideas, and solutions that were new to me. That mediation was a success because Mike Young refused to let it fail."
"We have mediated with Mr. Young numerous times and will do so again in the future. He is a top-flight expert at dispute resolution and I would recommend him without hesitation in any case."
- Attorney on an Employment Discrimination - Retaliation case
"Recommending creative solution on an impossible case."
- Attorney on an IP Patent Dispute
"Michael is innovative and thoughtful and has a calm, level-headed manner of communication and persuasion."
- Civil Litigation Attorney with Two Decades of Experience
"We have complete confidence in Mike and love working with him."
- Founding Partner at an Orange County-Based Employment Firm
"Mike was fair and understood copyright law better than many other mediators."
- Attorney, Nevada
"Michael did a great job and made my client feel very comfortable with the process. I would use him again for sure."
- Attorney on an Employment Hostile Environment case
"Mike was very effective in building credibility with both all sides in an emotionally charged case involving many parties. He quickly zeroed in on the heart of the issue while giving everyone a chance to be heard. He then set the stage for the path that ultimately led to resolution. I would not hesitate to recommend Mike and will certainly use him in the future."
- Attorney, Orange County, California
"Candidly, my experience mediating with Mr. Young was the best single-plaintiff mediation experience I’ve had in years. I found his approach to be refreshing, direct, efficient, and credible. It was the most productive use of a half-day mediation I’ve ever had, and I would place him in the “definitely use again” category as a result of this experience. He’s now in my top 5 favorite mediators for this type of case."
- Attorney on an Employment Race Discrimination case
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