
Case Manager: Haward Cho
Hon. Daniel P. Ramirez (Ret.) is a full-time mediator with ADR Services, Inc., bringing over 26 years of civil and family law judicial experience. Appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1994 – one of the youngest judges ever named to the bench – he later served on the Los Angeles Superior Court following court unification in 2000.
During his tenure on the bench, Judge Ramirez presided over a wide range of civil and family law matters and held key leadership roles, including Assistant Presiding Judge and Presiding Judge. He earned recognition as a highly effective settlement judge and was widely regarded by his colleagues as the “go‑to” for resolving complex disputes. He conducted thousands of settlement conferences spanning personal injury, business litigation, and family law, helping parties achieve efficient and equitable resolutions.
Known for his diligence, preparation, and dedication to fairness, Judge Ramirez is described by attorneys and litigants as fair‑minded, patient, and fully engaged. His strengths include active listening, discerning the underlying interests of the parties, and guiding them toward constructive, practical, and mutually beneficial outcomes.
2025-Present Mediator, ADR Services, Inc.
2022-2024 Judicial Council, Assigned Judge for the State of California
2020-2022 Mediator
2000-2020 Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court
1994-2000 Judge, Los Angeles Municipal Court
1989-1994 Deputy District Attorney, County of Los Angeles
1988-1989 Meyer, Wagner, and Associates
2021 Judicial Council, Civil Mediation (30 hours)
2020 “Mediating the Litigated Case”, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution (42 hours)
2019 Certified Civil Mediator by The National Judicial College (40 hours)
1987 J.D., Western State University College of Law
1984 B.A., Northern Illinois University
“I’ve done hundreds of mediations, and a lot of them with retired judges, and very often I find that retired judges almost weaponize their experience to mystify the process to the parties – plaintiffs and defendants – to make everything seem more difficult and less certain. Judge Ramirez did the exact opposite. He used his experience to help demystify the process and to give my client control over her life and the decision of whether or not to settle and to give her clarity as to what would be entailed in litigating the case further and understanding those implications.”
“I’ve worked with other mediators that tried to browbeat litigants, and I find that to be a very bad strategy. Clients are trusting us not to put them into a hostile situation, [and] with Judge Daniel Ramirez, I am confident he’s going to be very respectful to my clients, and he’s going to have competent, reasonable settlement strategies.”
“He’s understanding, and he’s empathetic, and I think that is very, very helpful because we’re talking about people’s lives and their assets and how they move forward, and he understands that on a level that I think is really important and sometimes gets missed.”
“I found Hon. Daniel Ramirez to be very professional. It was clear that he cared about ensuring a fair process for all parties involved in an expeditious manner. He was firm in his instructions, yet considerate of both parties’ positions.”