Case Manager: Haward Cho
James R. Lance, Esq. brings more than 38 years of experience as a highly successful and respected trial attorney to ADR Services, Inc. Throughout his career Mr. Lance has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in complex, high-stakes disputes, which gives him a unique perspective on the needs, priorities, and pressures facing each party in litigation. His practice included “bet-the-company” commercial cases, catastrophic personal injury/wrongful death claims, real estate/construction disputes, employment cases, professional liability claims and class actions.
Mr. Lance has secured several seven and eight figure verdicts, judgments, and settlements for his plaintiff clients, and many excellent results for his defense clients on high exposure cases. His track record of success, coupled with his ability to analyze complex facts and legal issues from every angle, informs his fair, balanced, and practical approach to alternative dispute resolution.
Mr. Lance’s peers consistently have recognized his excellence. He was selected as a “Top 50” San Diego Attorney seven times beginning in 2019 and has been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) since 2013. In 2024, the San Diego ABOTA Chapter selected Mr. Lance to be its President. Mr. Lance served on the CAL-ABOTA Board of Directors from 2023-25 and is honored to be the 2026 selection for the CAL-ABOTA member-at-large position. He also is a Board Member of the William B. Enright Chapter of the American Inns of Court and will join the Executive Committee as an officer in 2026.
Deeply committed to the legal community and public service, Mr. Lance has mentored countless young lawyers and students. He also coached youth football and baseball for more than 15 years. Since 2020, Mr. Lance has spearheaded a program at an underserved high school in Southeast San Diego which provides on-campus speakers who encourage students to actively pursue their education/career goals and assure them they can overcome hurdles and negativity. The program also assists students with internships and sponsors oral argument competitions at the school. His decades of advocacy, leadership, and mentorship now fuel Mr. Lance’s dedication to helping parties resolve their disputes efficiently and effectively.
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Historically, I have not had great results or experiences using “outfits” such as JAMS, Judicate West, or AAA. In my personal experience, former judges seem to have the most trouble making a hard decision as mediators and discovery referees. The panel I presented to defense counsel consisted of two former Judges and Mr. Lance, all from different “outfits.” The defendants selected Mr. Lance.
I could not have been happier with Mr. Lance. He was prepared, having actually read lengthy mediation briefs prepared by the parties. He understood complex issues involving duties and liabilities in the Jones Act context, which I had not expected. His approach with both parties was equal and fair, any seeming lack of impartiality could only be attributed to his thorough understanding and real world application of Jones Act law to the fact pattern of this case.
He did a great job managing the mediation process, knowing when we were stalled and ending it with time left. He followed up with the parties consistently, reopened negotiations, and recommended a mediators proposal when movements became micromovements. It took true determination on his part to communicate with the defendants in this case and I’m sure it was very time consuming. Both sides respected his opinion and analysis due to his very firm understanding of a rather niche area of law.
I whole-heartedly endorse his negotiation and settlement skills with no qualifications. It is beneficial to know the weaknesses of your case approaching trial, and this mediator will tell you. I look forward to using him across a variety of legal matters because I believe he has the aptitude to find a common ground between the parties under any circumstances.
I consent to Mr. Lance and ADR Services communicating or publishing this review on their website as long as my name is not shared, only because I would never want to deter my opposing counsel from selecting him.
This was a very difficult, long fought case I was certain would go to trial. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication!”
“Mr. Lance was well-prepared and understood the issues, from both a legal and practical perspective, on a case that was legally fairly straightforward but complicated by many factual circumstances that would have created a complex trial. The pre-mediation call was productive and facilitated diving into issues early during the mediation. Mr. Lance was effective and efficient at transitioning between the parties during the mediation itself, while simultaneously building a good rapport at the client level that allowed for negotiation and compromise from the beginning of the session. Mr. Lance set forth a mediator’s proposal that both parties accepted, which I believe belies both the trust he built with parties and his skill as a negotiator. I would happily use Mr. Lance as a mediator again.”
“I recently participated in a mediation conducted by James R. Lance involving a contentious business purchase and valuation dispute with significant factual disagreements and strong emotions. Mr. Lance was well prepared, quickly understood the key legal and practical issues, and used the mediation process effectively to focus the parties on resolution. He was professional, patient, and respectful throughout, while also being appropriately direct when evaluating risk and testing each side’s assumptions. He did more than shuttle numbers between rooms. He helped the parties assess their positions realistically, explored practical settlement options, and managed the interpersonal dynamics in a way that allowed progress to be made. Mr. Lance was instrumental in helping the parties reach a settlement. I would not hesitate to use him again or recommend him for business, commercial, and civil disputes.”
“I was recently involved in a Mediation with James R. Lance, Esq. I am a San Diego attorney and have been practicing civil litigation business law in San Diego for the last 30 years. I have been involved in hundreds of mediations.
A few days ago, Mr. Lance mediated to successful conclusion a dispute between Sellers of a business to the Buyer. In a nutshell, Buyer contended she did not get what she paid for. As a result, the issues involved were fact intensive. Sellers submitted an extensive brief with over 100 pages of exhibits. It was clear that Mr. Lance had thoroughly reviewed the brief and exhibits.
In addition, Mr. Lance held a pre-mediation conference and was well versed regarding legal issues from the beginning. Mr. Lance communicated well both to counsel and to my clients. This was scheduled for a one-half day mediation which inevitably turned into an entire day. Mr. Lance was willing to and did see the matter through to the end. He drafted a four-page settlement agreement and binding term sheet.
My clients did not have a full appreciation for the law, or the process, but at all times, Mr. Lance treated them with respect, listened to their concerns, and diligently facilitated an option for settlement that became palatable to them after Mr. Lance’s explanations.
I would not hesitate to use Mr. Lance as a Mediator again.”
“Mr. Lance was extremely effective both before and during the mediation. Although the case presented significant challenges to settlement, it resolved during the mediation session. Mr. Lance was well prepared, having reviewed the parties’ briefs and conducted pre-mediation calls with counsel. He quickly and thoroughly grasped the legal and factual issues, communicated effectively, and managed a multi-party process involving differing interests with professionalism and respect. He also helped engineer a complicated settlement structure that ultimately achieved a global resolution. I would use Mr. Lance’s services again.”
“Jim Lance was very prepared for our mediation. He did a great job of communicating with both sides before mediation to ensure that he was fully apprised of the situation. Jim has great communication skills and clearly understood the issues before him. It was a complicated case with some very personal issues that he had to deal with. Jim did a great job in getting both sides to realize the weaknesses of their case and settling the case. I would certainly use Jim again for a mediation.”
“I have had the privilege of working closely with James Lance on a complex employment matter with a very difficult client. I am pleased to provide my strong endorsement for James as a highly skilled and dedicated mediator.”
“He approaches mediation with a sense of integrity and professionalism, ensuring that all parties involved are heard and respected. His ability to navigate sensitive and contentious issues with tact and diplomacy is remarkable.”
“He had total command of the issues even as new facts and information, which were not a part of the briefs, were being thrown at him during the mediation.”
“Mr. Lance was impartial while providing his honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the case. His impartiality was key to having the client engage with him during the mediation.”
“James consistently demonstrated exceptional mediation skills and a deep understanding of conflict resolution principles throughout the entire case. His ability to create a neutral and collaborative atmosphere is truly commendable. His calm demeanor and excellent communication and persuasive skills undoubtedly enable him to guide parties toward mutually beneficial resolutions, making him a resourceful and unique problem solver.”
“Mr. Lance had a plan for getting both sides to explore different options for resolution. Ultimately, both parties agreed to Mr. Lance issuing a mediator’s proposal, which was accepted by both parties.”
“We think that Jim Lance did an excellent job. He was very patient, very knowledgeable, very insightful, and we don’t believe the deal would’ve been done without him.”
“Mr. Lance was completely professional even when dealing with emotional clients. This was critical to earning the trust of the client and counsel.”
“He was a clear and effective communicator to all parties who attended the mediation – the client, counsel, and insurance adjusters.”
“Mr. Lance was prepared to hit the ground running. He spent the time to read the briefs well in advance of the mediation and set up pre mediation calls with both counsel in advance of the mediation so we could hit the ground running.”
“Mr. Lance was impartial while providing his honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the case. His impartiality was key to having the client engage with him during the mediation.”
“We would absolutely use Mr. Lance again.”
“Mr. Lance had total control of the mediation process which allowed the mediation to proceed efficiently.”
