Litigation Section of the California Lawyers Association

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Litigation Section of the California Lawyers Association Established in 1983, the Litigation Section is a voluntary membership association for attorneys. We are committed to accessibility!

Learn more at https://calawyers.org/accessibility/ The section is led by a fifteen-member Executive Committee comprised of attorneys from across the state and by a distinguished panel of advisors who are prominent attorneys and state and federal judges. Goals:

-- To further the knowledge of its members in all aspects of dispute resolution and litigation before judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative tribunals;

-- To assist in the formulation and implementation of programs, forums, and other activities for the education of members;

-- To encourage bench-bar collegiality;

-- To assist in the formulation, administration and implementation of legislation;

-- To act upon all matters germane to its purposes as well as those referred to it, through the Secretary of the State Bar, by the Judicial Council, the courts, governmental agencies, professional associations, and others;

-- To encourage diversity in its membership;

-- To make recommendations to the State Bar Board of Trustees. General Information


With approximately 10,000 members from the bench and bar, the Litigation Section is the largest section of The State Bar of California. The Litigation Section provides high quality education programs, including Best Practices and Coaching for the New Practitioner seminars and webinars on various topics of interest to litigators. We publish California Litigation three times annually, presenting articles on major trends in litigation, and also publish California Litigation Review, an annual journal summarizing important caselaw developments. The Section also analyzes and comments on proposed legislation affecting the practice of litigation and on proposed new or amended California Rules of Court and CACI jury instructions.

Zealous advocacy and professionalism aren’t opposites. In arbitration, civility can be your edge. Robert Amador of Amado...
10/20/2026

Zealous advocacy and professionalism aren’t opposites. In arbitration, civility can be your edge. Robert Amador of Amador Law Corporation joins the Session 1 panel at the 2026 California ADR Forum.

🗓️ Session 1: Civility as Strategy in Arbitration: Balancing Zealous Advocacy with Professionalism
⏰ Friday, November 6, 2026 | 9:00 – 10:00 AM PST
📍 2026 California ADR Forum | Morrison Foerster, 425 Market Street, San Francisco
✅ MCLE: 1.0 Hour Civility in the Legal Profession

Arbitration’s flexibility brings its own professionalism challenges, and how you handle them shapes your credibility, case management, and outcomes. Learn strategies for managing difficult interactions, advocating with integrity, and using civility to your advantage in ADR.

Speakers:
Robert Amador, Amador Law Corporation
Ruth Glick, Arbitrator and Mediator, American Arbitration Association
Megan Kelly, Director, Operations, JAMS
Jill Manning, Mediator/Arbitrator, JAMS; The Manning Law Firm

The full-day forum offers 7.0 hours of MCLE, including Legal Ethics, Civility, and Technology credit.

Register now: https://calawyers.org/2026-california-adr-forum/

Mediators and arbitrators are using AI for case preparation, legal research, award drafting, and administration. This pa...
10/20/2026

Mediators and arbitrators are using AI for case preparation, legal research, award drafting, and administration. This panel covers how to use it responsibly while preserving neutrality and judgment, with a look at the American Arbitration Association’s new AI Arbitrator and AI Resolution Simulator.

🗓️ Session 7: Smarter ADR: Harnessing AI in Mediation and Arbitration
⏰ Friday, November 6, 2026 | 4:15 – 5:15 PM PST
📍 2026 California ADR Forum | Morrison Foerster, 425 Market Street, San Francisco
✅ MCLE: 1.0 Hour Technology in the Practice of Law

Speakers:

David Coher, Coher ADR
Aaron Gothelf, Vice President, Commercial Division, American Arbitration Association

Stay after for the networking reception with leaders from JAMS, AAA, and ADR Services. The full-day forum offers 7.0 hours of MCLE, including Legal Ethics and Civility credit.

Register now: https://calawyers.org/2026-california-adr-forum/

Courtroom habits don’t always win in arbitration. Know where the rules change.Robert Mockler, Partner at Steptoe LLP, jo...
10/20/2026

Courtroom habits don’t always win in arbitration. Know where the rules change.

Robert Mockler, Partner at Steptoe LLP, joins the Session 2 panel at the 2026 California ADR Forum.

🗓️ Session 2: Arbitration is Not Court: What Litigators Must Know to Master the Differences for Success
⏰ Friday, November 6, 2026 | 10:15 – 11:15 AM PST
📍 2026 California ADR Forum | Morrison Foerster, 425 Market Street, San Francisco
✅ MCLE: 1.0 Hour

Arbitration has its own rules and a more informal process than court. Learn how to use those differences to get better results for your clients.

Speakers:

Michelle Akerman, Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP
Jeffery Daar, Principal, Daar & Newman
Robert Mockler, Partner, Steptoe LLP

The full-day forum offers 7.0 hours of MCLE, including Legal Ethics, Civility, and Technology credit.

Register now: https://calawyers.org/2026-california-adr-forum/

Mediation deadlocks are rarely about the law. Commercial and probate disputes turn on business realities, family dynamic...
10/19/2026

Mediation deadlocks are rarely about the law. Commercial and probate disputes turn on business realities, family dynamics, and fiduciary duties. This panel shares techniques for breaking impasses, managing emotional conflicts, and reaching settlements that last.

🗓️ Session 3: Best Practices for Mediation Success
⏰ Friday, November 6, 2026 | 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PST
📍 2026 California ADR Forum | Morrison Foerster, 425 Market Street, San Francisco
✅ MCLE: 1.0 Hour

Speakers:

Hon. Steven Austin (Ret.), ADR Services, Inc.
Howard Herman, JAMS
Gary Sanders, Sanders Mediation

Built for litigators, estate and probate attorneys, fiduciary advisors, corporate counsel, and mediators. The full-day forum offers 7.0 hours of MCLE, including Legal Ethics, Civility, and Technology credit, plus a networking reception with leaders from JAMS, AAA, and ADR Services.

Register now: https://calawyers.org/2026-california-adr-forum/

At the 2026 California ADR Forum, Jeffery Daar, a principal at Daar & Newman, will speak at Session 2: Arbitration is No...
10/17/2026

At the 2026 California ADR Forum, Jeffery Daar, a principal at Daar & Newman, will speak at Session 2: Arbitration is Not Court: What Litigators Must Know to Master the Differences for Success.

Jeff has more than 25 years of experience in cross-border disputes in both courts and arbitration, including international arbitration, complex state and federal litigation, and the recognition and enforcement of foreign money judgments and arbitral awards.

In this session, attendees will learn how to take advantage of arbitration's different rules to achieve success for their clients.

🗓️ Session 2: Arbitration is Not Court: What Litigators Must Know to Master the Differences for Success
⏰ Friday, November 6, 2026 | 10:15 – 11:15 AM PST
📍 2026 California ADR Forum | Morrison Foerster, 425 Market Street, San Francisco
✅ MCLE: 1.0 Hour

Speakers:

Michelle Akerman, Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP
Jeffery Daar, Principal, Daar & Newman
Robert Mockler, Partner, Steptoe LLP

The full-day forum also covers mass arbitration, AI in dispute resolution, ethical challenges, and complex dispute strategy, with 7.0 hours of MCLE (including Legal Ethics, Civility, and Technology credit) and a networking reception with leaders from JAMS, AAA, and ADR Services.

Register now: https://calawyers.org/2026-california-adr-forum/

AI is reshaping dispute resolution. Learn how to use it without losing the human judgment that makes ADR work.Aaron Goth...
10/17/2026

AI is reshaping dispute resolution. Learn how to use it without losing the human judgment that makes ADR work.

Aaron Gothelf, Regional Vice President of the American Arbitration Association’s Commercial Division for California, joins the Session 7 panel at the 2026 California ADR Forum. Aaron serves as National Chair of AAA’s Entertainment Practice and Western U.S. Chair of its Technology Practice, and is a Council Member for the ABA’s Dispute Resolution Section.

🗓️ Session 7: Smarter ADR: Harnessing AI in Mediation and Arbitration
⏰ Friday, November 6, 2026 | 4:15 – 5:15 PM PST
📍 2026 California ADR Forum | Morrison Foerster, 425 Market Street, San Francisco
✅ MCLE: 1.0 Hour Technology in the Practice of Law

See how mediators and arbitrators are using AI for case preparation, legal research, award drafting, and administration, including a look at AAA’s new AI Arbitrator and AI Resolution Simulator.

Speakers:

David Coher, Coher ADR
Aaron Gothelf, Vice President, Commercial Division, American Arbitration Association

The full-day forum offers 7.0 hours of MCLE, including Legal Ethics, Civility, and Technology credit.

Register now: https://calawyers.org/2026-california-adr-forum/

Are you treating arbitration like a courtroom and leaving advantages on the table?Arbitration isn’t litigation, and the ...
10/16/2026

Are you treating arbitration like a courtroom and leaving advantages on the table?

Arbitration isn’t litigation, and the attorneys who get the best results know how to use the difference. This panel breaks down where arbitration departs from court practice, and how its distinct rules and relative informality can sharpen your strategy, improve efficiency, and deliver better outcomes for clients.

🗓️ Session 2: Arbitration is Not Court: What Litigators Must Know to Master the Differences for Success
⏰ Friday, November 6, 2026 | 10:15 – 11:15 AM PST
📍 2026 California ADR Forum | Morrison Foerster, 425 Market Street, San Francisco
✅ MCLE: 1.0 Hour

Speakers:
Michelle Akerman, Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP
Jeffery Daar, Principal, Daar & Newman
Robert Mockler, Partner, Steptoe LLP

The full-day forum also covers mass arbitration, AI in dispute resolution, ethical challenges, and complex dispute strategy, with 7.0 hours of MCLE (including Legal Ethics, Civility, and Technology credit) and a networking reception with leaders from JAMS, AAA, and ADR Services.

Register now: https://calawyers.org/2026-california-adr-forum/

Michelle Akerman, Partner at Hanson Bridgett LLP, joins the Session 2 panel at the 2026 California ADR Forum. A top-rate...
10/15/2026

Michelle Akerman, Partner at Hanson Bridgett LLP, joins the Session 2 panel at the 2026 California ADR Forum. A top-rated litigator focused on construction disputes, Michelle has handled matters from pre-litigation through trial in state and federal courts and arbitration.

🗓️ Session 2: Arbitration is Not Court: What Litigators Must Know to Master the Differences for Success
⏰ Friday, November 6, 2026 | 10:15 – 11:15 AM PST
📍 2026 California ADR Forum | Morrison Foerster, 425 Market Street, San Francisco
✅ MCLE: 1.0 Hour

Learn how arbitration's different rules and relative informality can get better results for your clients.

Speakers:

Michelle Akerman, Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP
Jeffery Daar, Principal, Daar & Newman
Robert Mockler, Partner, Steptoe LLP

The full California ADR Forum program offers 7.0 hours of MCLE, including Legal Ethics, Civility, and Technology credit.

Register now: https://calawyers.org/2026-california-adr-forum/

California International Arbitration Week returns March 9-11, 2027!Join us in Santa Monica, at the Hilton Hotel & Suites...
10/09/2026

California International Arbitration Week returns March 9-11, 2027!

Join us in Santa Monica, at the Hilton Hotel & Suites for three days of MCLE programming and networking with global arbitral institutions and practitioners.

Attend expert panels and engaging discussions focused on best practices and emerging trends in international arbitration. Stay tuned for registration details.

CIAW 2027 is presented by California Lawyers Association’s Litigation Section and California Arbitration, Inc. (CalArb).

Congratulations to Charles H. Dick, a recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Service Award.With more than 50 years of trial...
10/08/2026

Congratulations to Charles H. Dick, a recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Service Award.

With more than 50 years of trial experience and service to the San Diego legal community, Mr. Dick has shown what professionalism and civility look like in practice. We are honored to recognize him for the 2026 Distinguished Service Award.

Help us celebrate Mr. Dick at the Joint Sections Awards Reception- Friday, Oct. 23, 5:15–6:15 PM at the Sheraton San Diego Resort during the CLA Annual Meeting: https://calawyers.org/2026-annual-meeting/

Learn more about the 2026 ADR Award Recipients: https://calawyers.org/section/litigation/adr-hall-of-fame-award/

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