Profile
Lynne Bassis is a full time mediator who resolves employment law disputes. She is a pioneer in the mediation profession – a gem, as suggested by practitioners. After well over a thousand mediations, Lynne brings to the table a rich blend of wisdom and skill that only years of experience can yield.
Given Lynne’s decades of mediation experience dating back to 1991, she knows that early involvement in the case makes a difference in the mediation outcome. She sets the table for success by becoming involved immediately upon hire. Becoming acquainted with counsel, counsel’s goals and the obstacles in the case before the hearing, be it virtual or in person, is paramount in her approach to mediation and achieving a settlement. Being a quick study on the legal issues, Lynne invites counsel’s input so that her custom design of the mediation process fulfills the specific purpose for which she was retained. Lynne shares briefing suggestions and conducts confidential pre-mediation calls to finalize the mediation game plan. Lest the case not resolve in mediation, Lynne continues her efforts (discovery or dispositive motions) to bring about a resolution. She views the mediation as the beginning, not the end, of the settlement trajectory.
Lynne is unparalleled in her ability to manage clients’ personal and emotional issues – oftentimes the underbelly of the legal dispute. She is smart on the law and smart on people, able to ferret out hidden motivators and respond to them with ease. Her style, technique, instinct and patience leave both counsel and clients feeling pleased with the experience. See what others are saying about Lynne’s services at: www.bassismediation.com.
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
Lynne’s experience spans the entire gamut of employment law disputes, including Employment Discrimination and Harassment based on all protected classes (e.g. Race, Color, National Origin, Ancestry, Ethnicity, Mental and Physical Disability, Age, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender, Medical Condition, Pregnancy, Religion, Association, Marital Status, etc.); Disability Access; Wrongful Termination; Retaliation; Whistle Blower Conduct; Violation of Non-Compete Agreements; Theft of Trade Secrets; Wage and Hour Violations (e.g. misclassification, exemptions, unpaid overtime, working off the clock, unpaid bonuses/commissions, waiting time penalties, violation of wage orders); Workplace Safety/OSHA violations; Interplay of Federal and California Leave Laws; Immigration Status; and Class Action and Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) actions.
Employment cases often overlap with other areas of the law and require experience in non-employment areas. Frequent areas include: Fair Housing Laws; Bankruptcy; Workers’ Compensation; Personal Injury; California Tort Liability; Mergers & Acquisitions; Corporate Actions (dissolution of a business, division of stock, successor ownership); Securities; Collective Bargaining Agreements; Arbitration Agreements and Motions to Compel; and Trusts & Estates (inheritance conflicts in small family-owned businesses).
Representative Mediations:
- Actions on behalf of C-Level employees involving wrongful termination/constructive discharge for alleged whistleblowing verses below par performance and voluntary resignation
- Wage and hour class action and PAGA representative actions
- Actions alleging retaliation and wrongful termination for complaining about safety violations verses business decline necessitating a reduction in force
- Car Wash employer with multiple facilities throughout southern California maintained a piece-rate workforce consisting of “washers” and “polishers” while allegedly failing to provide mandatory breaks verses providing of breaks but insufficient documentation
- Sexual assault and battery in the workplace verses consensual adult relationship
- Female manager sexually harassing male subordinate verses male subordinate sexually harassing manager
- Disability access to rides at amusement park verses state regulations prohibiting said access
- Pathway from parking lot to restaurant impermissibly obstructed for patrons in wheelchairs and configuration of tables and chairs inside restaurant failed to provide adequate space for patrons in wheelchairs verses compliance arguments
- Reasonable accommodation requests in many different types of workplaces, including retail, educational institutions, public entities, professional offices, hospitals, manufacturing, hospitality, etc.
Representative Industries: Healthcare and Nursing; Retail; Financial; Technology; Hospitality; Manufacturing; Service; Public Sector (Cities, Municipalities, Governmental Agencies); Colleges and Universities; Construction and Real Estate; Transportation (Air and Rail); Gasoline Stations; Warehousing & Storage; Insurance; Legal Services; Professional Malpractice; Repairs and Maintenance; Housing.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Full-Time Mediator with over 20 years of experience
- Mediator and Litigator with 24 years of experience in both the public and private sectors in the areas of general civil, employment, disability and disability access, business, government tort liability and personal injury, and professional malpractice
- Mediation Instructor (beginning and advanced training), Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Director & Adjunct Professor, Disability Mediation Center at Loyola Law School
- ADR Adjunct Professor: Southwestern University School of Law; University of California at Riverside; UCLA Education Extension
- Negotiation Trainer for the United States Air Force; California Department of Rehabilitation; United States Postal Service; Seminar for Pacific Enterprises; “Negotiation at Work” Seminars; Conflict Resolution Skills for High School Students
- Arbitrator, FINRA (formerly NASD)
LEGAL BACKGROUND
- 2013-Present Neutral, ADR Services, Inc.
- 2001-Present Mediator, Bassis Mediation Group
- 1999-2001 Director of the Disability Mediation Center & Fulltime Adjunct Professor, Loyola Law School
- 1989-1998 Counsel to the Court, California Supreme Court’s State Bar Court
- 1988-1989 Litigation Attorney, Gartner & Young
- 1986-1988 Litigation Attorney, Barbosa & Vera
- 1984-1986 Trial Counsel, State Bar of California
- 1980-1984 Litigation Attorney, Legal Services
- 1977-1980 Peace Corps
EDUCATION
- 2011 Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Designing Conflict Management Systems
- 1995 Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Mediating the Litigated Case
- 1977 Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts
- 1974 University of California, Irvine and Berkeley, A.B. Criminology, Phi Beta Kappa
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
- California Employment Lawyers Association
- Beverly Hills Bar Association, Executive Committee, Labor & Employment Law Section
- LA County Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section
- Orange County Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section
- Westside Bar Association
- Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
- State Bar of California
- Labor & Employment Executive Committee (Term: 2005-2008)
- Ethics Subcommittee, State Bar Committee on ADR (1998)
- International Academy of Mediators (Distinguished Fellow, since 1999)
- Southern California Mediation Association, Board of Directors and Programs Chair (1994)
RECOGNITION
- “Super Lawyer” in Dispute Resolution, 2007-2011 & 2015-2021 Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine
- “Phi Beta Kappa” University of California, Irvine & Berkeley
EMPLOYMENT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- Advanced Mediation Conference: Practical Skills for Experienced Employment Litigators (2019)
- Maximizing Insurance: Strategies and Perspectives in Litigation and Mediation (2018)
- Implicit Bias Presentation for public entities and law firms (2014-2016)
- Mock Mediation Panel Presentation (2005)
- Mediating Disability Cases: Straight Talk from the Experts (2004)
- “Beyond the Basics Employment Mediation” (2003)
- “Employment and Disability Issues (2002)
- Disability Discrimination in California: Managing & Mediating Disability Issues in the Workplace” (2002)
- “Ethical Responsibilities When Representing a Client in Mediation (2001)
- “Interactive Reasonable Accommodation Process (2001)
ARTICLES
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) and Mediation (2019)
- Mediating Employment Cases When Insurance is In Play (2017)
- Face-to-Face Sessions Fade Away: Why is Mediation’s Joint Session Disappearing? (2014)
- Speed Dating and Other creative Tools for Mediation (2012)
- My All-Nighter (2012)
- Building a Conflict Management System (2011)
- Transportation Mediation (2008)
- Business Break-Ups: Litigate or Mediate (2008)
- Litigators Who Take Advantage of the Mediation Process Can Help Their Clients (2002)