Co-Sponsored by the Women in Trial Travel Summit, What I Wish the Other Side Knew pulls back the curtain on what really matters to each participant in mediation.

In this candid, practitioner-driven program, seasoned panelists include plaintiff’s attorney Michelle West, defense attorney Wilma Gray, and mediator Debra Bogaards (who has a background representing both sides). The panel will share the insights they rarely get to say out loud—what they need, what they worry about, and what helps (or hurts) the path to resolution.

The panel explores critical moments before and during mediation, including effective briefing and information exchange, navigating layered insurance coverage and multiple parties, addressing ability-to-pay issues and bankruptcy realities, and preparing clients for the emotional and strategic “day in court” experience. The discussion concludes with practical strategies for crafting creative, sometimes non-monetary settlement terms that move cases forward when money alone isn’t enough.

Designed for attorneys on both sides of the aisle, this program offers practical perspective-shifting insights that can lead to more productive mediations—and better outcomes for clients.

Save the date for the Inaugural Public Law Conference, a new forum designed to explore the changing landscape of public law and public-sector governance. This event brings together practitioners, policymakers, and public servants for essential training, timely discussions, and practical insights that support effective government at every level.

The program will feature engaging sessions on Public Records and Public Meetings, Environmental Public Law, Labor Public Law, and a Public Law 101 overview for those seeking foundational knowledge. Each session is crafted to provide clear, relevant guidance for both experienced professionals and newcomers to the field.

Alongside the formal presentations, the conference offers space for meaningful dialogue, shared learning, and connection among colleagues committed to strengthening public service. We appreciate your interest and participation as we launch this important initiative and thank you for being part of the first step toward what we hope becomes a long-standing tradition of collaboration and professional growth in public law.

Mediation of affirmative tenant claims are never just two-sided disputes — they are multi-layered negotiations shaped by local eviction control ordinances, insurance coverage issues, and the value of the tenancy.

Join Steve Abern (Mediator/Panel Counsel), Jacqueline Ravenscroft (Plaintiff’s Counsel), and Jeff Woo (Personal Counsel) for a candid, practical discussion of who’s really in the room — and how their roles intersect before and during mediation.

This program moves beyond generic mediation advice to focus on the players and their interplay: panel counsel, personal counsel, claims representatives, and plaintiff’s counsel. Through real-world habitability and wrongful eviction case examples, the panel will explore preparation and case evaluation, insurance coverage issues, attorney’s fees, statutory penalties, potential tenancy buyouts, and the optics that influence carrier decision-making.

Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how each role evaluates risk, communicates with carriers, navigates authority, and shifts strategy at mediation — and how to work more effectively across the aisle to reach resolution.

In this one-hour seminar Monty McIntyre, Plaintiff's counsel Will Small, and Defense counsel Micaela Banach will discuss many important case employment case decisions published in 2025 by the California Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal.

New for 2026, we are excited to host Western Alliance Bank's Class Action Law Forum^TM Mass Torts Summit at the Pendry San Diego in collaboration with the University of San Diego Law. The summit directly benefits the Western Alliance Bank Scholarship Fund, supporting a USD Law School student in financial need.

Join us for a two day summit focused on the latest insights and strategies in Mass Torts. Attendees will hear insights and take part in discussions on the most important developments and issues surrounding mass torts. Gain actionable strategies, understand emerging trends, and learn how these developments impact businesses, law firms and clients. Our panelists include sitting federal judges and top defense and plaintiffs' attorneys.

Construction litigation in California has reached a critical crossroads where complex multi-party disputes often devolve into aimless, expensive "billing events" rather than structured paths to resolution. This marquee panel brings together an elite class of neutrals and practitioners from JAMS, AAA, and ADR Services to dismantle these inefficiencies and provide a definitive roadmap to the "End Game." Moving far beyond "Mediation 101," this session explores the tactical preparation, risk transfer nuances, and the 2026 digital divide of Zoom versus in-person negotiations required to break insurance logjams. Attendees will learn to shift their mindset from merely attending a session to aggressively driving a resolution through diligent investigation and sophisticated deal-structuring, replacing procedural "drift" with a disciplined, high-velocity approach to settlement.

This program provides a practical overview of best practices for real property mediations conducted privately, and through the California Association of REALTORS® (CAR). Gideon Kracov and Neil Kalin examine the structure and procedures of the CAR Mediation Program and the core principles guiding effective mediations, including confidentiality, party self-determination, and impartiality. 

The speakers address common real estate disputes—such as nondisclosure, contract breaches, landlord-tenant issues, HOA conflicts, title disputes, property damage, and neighbor matters—while offering practical guidance on planning for successful mediations. Topics include timing, pre-mediation preparation, attendance decisions, joint sessions, term sheets, and special considerations involving multiple parties, insurance, government entities, and experts. The program concludes with a discussion of key mediation tools and strategies, where viewers can learn practical information to apply to real property cases.

California Labor Code §2699.3 has altered the procedural path of PAGA litigation by introducing a statutory Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) process that, in practice, often functions as an early mediation.

This program will break down the statute’s language and legislative origins, outline the ENE timeline and hearing procedure, and examine how courts are implementing the process. The panel will then turn to real-world application: Does ENE meaningfully change outcomes? How flexible are the statutory timelines? And why do many cases ultimately resemble traditional mediation?

Finally, the discussion will explore broader implications for employers, employees, and the courts — including pending regulations, the anticipated California Supreme Court decision in Leeper v. Shipt, Inc., and the political and budgetary forces shaping PAGA’s future.

At bottom, this program discusses the real-world implications of this procedural reform, and what the future may hold for PAGA litigation.

The 5th Annual Women in Trial Travel Summit® (WITTS) will take place at the stunning Conrad resort in Punta Mita, Mexico. Hosted by Lauren Wood—trial attorney with L Wood Law and the owner of Travel is the Cure—this unique attorney conference blends legal education with luxury travel. WITTS offers women lawyers the chance to connect with peers, earn MCLE* credits, network with vendors, and enjoy some well-deserved fun in the sun.

The 2026 event will feature MCLE classes in the mornings and hosted networking events in the afternoons and evenings. Past WITTS events, also held at the Conrad Punta de Mita, have included welcome receptions, poolside cocktails with live mariachi, a keynote lunch and a hosted dinner with a lively Cuban-band.

Description: Hon. Victoria Gerrard Chaney (Ret.) will be sharing her deep expertise at West Coast Casualty’s Construction Defect Seminar, serving as a panelist on two dynamic programs focused on complex case management and innovative dispute resolution strategies. She will appear on the 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM panel, “Can You Handle the Truth? We Can Help!”, where leading neutrals and practitioners discuss expert approaches to managing and resolving high-stakes, complex cases. Later in the day, Judge Chaney will also speak on the 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM panel, “Dual-Use Same Neutral; An Effective Two-Fer”, exploring the strategic use of a...