History
Brian came to work for the Federal government with a deep passion to be of service to his fellow citizens through his work at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He honed his mediation skills first as an Investigator of discrimination charges, then as a Systemic Investigator and Enforcement Supervisor. In 2009, he found his true calling as an ADR Staff Mediator.
In his highly successful career, he mediated over 1500 charges and successfully resolved 80% of his cases. He has consistently received outstanding reviews from the mediation participants who have praised his knowledge, experience, fairness and neutrality.
This success propelled him to start his own mediation practice. He looks forward to putting his vast experience toward helping clients resolve their cases and avoid costly litigation.
Mediation Style and Practice Area
Brian is deeply committed to helping parties resolve their employment disputes. His extensive enforcement and mediation background gives him a deep understanding that it is almost always preferable for parties to amicably resolve their issues through a mutually agreed upon mediated settlement agreement rather than protracted and costly alternatives such as investigation, arbitration or litigation.
While the EEOC program was mainly geared towards the facilitative mediation process, Brian has had extensive and diverse training and can easily fluctuate between other mediation models such as evaluative and transformative mediation. Brian sees the benefits of having joint sessions at some point during the mediation process and believes that this can be very effective in helping the parties understand the other side's position and facilitate resolution. Separate caucuses with each side have also proved to be very valuable in handling matters that the parties may not wish to share in joint session.
Even when Brian uses his vast experience with employment law to conduct more of an evaluative mediation, he consistently maintains his neutrality while helping the parties assess their risk. Brian has been described by many mediation participants as being an empathetic presence with a calming voice and demeanor which allows the parties to openly express their emotions. This style has been utilized to effect many positive outcomes.
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Mediator Bio
From his diverse range of experience at the Los Angeles District Office of the EEOC to opening his own practice, Brian has worked in the field of labor and employment for 30 years. He has won many awards for his outstanding work and continues to provide the same dedication to all his clients. Brian takes his craft very seriously and regularly attends training and seminars to stay abreast of the law’s frequent changes and to perfect his mediation skills. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brian has successfully transitioned his practice into an online platform and has received accolades for successfully mediating many cases via the Zoom platform.
Education
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY
B.A., Business Administration 1983
Training and Certification
Pepperdine University - Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution (rated #1 dispute resolution program in U.S.), Multiple courses including: Strategic Negotiation Skills; Advanced Mediation; Preventing Bad Settlement Decisions and Impasse; Tools of Mindful Awareness; and Public Sector Mediation
L.A. County Bar Association Dispute Resolution Services Inc. (DRS), Basic Mediation Training Certificate
Professor Mari Frank, Esq., Advanced Mediation Certificate - Mastering Workplace Mediation
Center for Dispute Resolution (by Kenneth Cloke, Director) - 36 hour training in Mediation and Conflict Resolution
Attended SCMA Annual Conferences every year from 2017 to the present including multiple conference workshops and several independent SCMA sponsored daily workshops
Presented and received training at the CA Association of Equal Rights Professionals (CAERP) conference
Presented training at the Cal State University Northridge Pride Center as part of their Trans Awareness Week
Conducted Outreach events on the EEOC's Mediation program to the local offices of Congressman Adam Schiff, Congresswoman Karen Bass and Congressman Howard Berman
Volunteered as Coach for several annual Western Justice Center Foundation Peer Mediation Invitationals (PMI) to encourage students to be peacemakers at their schools
Awards and Affiliations
Current Contract Mediator with the EEOC (various District Offices), Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources and ADRVantage
Southern California Mediation Association, Member
"Hammer" Award from Vice-President Al Gore for participation on EEOC L.A. District Office Partnership Council
EEOC Chair's Opportunity to Reward Excellence Awards (CORE) for 2 highly significant national public consent decrees, a large class action sexual harassment investigation and highly regarded outreach training
Numerous District Director Awards for outstanding performance as an Investigator, Supervisor and Mediator while at EEOC
Greater Los Angeles Federal Executive Board 25th Annual Distinguished Public Service Award Program Partnership Award for EEOC Labor Management Partnership Council
